PSI New Jersey Real Estate State Practice Exam

The Fair Housing Act primarily prohibits discrimination based on:

1. Economic status

2. Sex

3. Age

4. Property type

The correct answer is: Sex

The Fair Housing Act primarily prohibits discrimination based on sex, as well as several other protected characteristics including race, color, religion, national origin, familial status, and disability. The inclusion of sex as a protected category ensures that individuals cannot be treated unfairly in housing transactions due to their gender, which supports the wider goal of promoting equal opportunity in housing. Understanding the significance of this legislation is crucial for real estate professionals to ensure compliance and promote fairness within the housing market. The Fair Housing Act emerged as part of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, aiming to eliminate the pervasive discrimination that many groups faced when seeking housing. The other options—economic status, age, and property type—are not covered under this particular legislation in terms of prohibition. While economic status can influence access to housing and might be part of other discussions regarding fair housing policies, it is not a protected class under the Fair Housing Act. Age discrimination can be addressed by other laws, such as the Age Discrimination Act, but it is not a focus of the Fair Housing Act. Similarly, property type does not dictate protections under this law.