Fair Housing phrase guide / State / local classes

Can you say “verifiable income” in an MLS listing? It depends

Depends Fine in some uses and a problem in others. Both sides are explained below.

Why

NYPA and CRMLS list "verifiable income" as acceptable, but LIBOR lists it as prohibited in New York because of source-of-income protections. Check your state.

Safer wording

There's no one-click rewrite for this one. Describe the property, not the people, and rewrite this part by hand.

What the tag means

Depends means it's fine or not depending on how it's used. Read the reason, then decide for your sentence.

Check your own wording

1 phrase to look at

  • Depends “verifiable income”

    NYPA and CRMLS list "verifiable income" as acceptable, but LIBOR lists it as prohibited in New York because of source-of-income protections. Check your state.

A word check, not a legal review. Open the full checker for fixes, the fact lock and the MLS character count.

What the law covers here

Federal law names seven classes. Many states and cities add more, such as source of income or marital status, and some add military status or criminal history. A phrase that's fine under federal law can still break a local ordinance, so check the rules where the property is.

Sources

Related phrases

All state / local classes phrases on one page · The 12-check listing checklist

Not legal advice. Word lists can't judge context, and laws differ by state and city, with some protecting more classes than federal law does. If you're unsure about a listing, ask your broker or a fair housing attorney. Rule st-verifiable-income, ListingLint rules v2026.10.2.