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What is Fair Housing?

Fair housing is a right protected by Federal and State laws. Each resident is entitled to equal access to housing opportunities regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, familial status, marital status, age, ancestry, sexual orientation, source of income, or any other arbitrary reason. Signs of discrimination include:

  • The rent or deposit quoted is higher than advertised.
  • The manager says the unit is rented but the ad or sign is still posted.
  • The manager says “You probably won’t like it here”, “We’ve rented out the family units”, or “There is no place for your children to play”.
  • A real estate agent keeps “steering” you to look for houses in neighborhoods different than the ones you desire and you think you can afford.
  • The manager denies your request to make minor modifications to your unit to accommodate your disability.


Housing Rights Center of Los Angeles (HRC)


The City contracts with the Housing Rights Center (HRC) of Los Angeles for FREE fair housing services to Thousand Oaks residents and community members. HRC offers housing discrimination complaint investigation, landlord/tenant counseling, predatory lending information, outreach and education, and legal and advocacy services. For additional information, contact HRC at (800) 477-5977, or visit HRC’s website at www.hrc-la.org.

Fair Housing Resources

Self-Help Legal Access Center provides informational assistance to self-represented litigants. For additional information, visit their website here or call (805) 289-8724.

The mission of the Office of FHEO is to create equal housing opportunities for all persons living in America by administering laws that prohibit discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, and familial status. View more information here.

Handbook is available through the California Department of Real Estate on the website under the Tenant/Landlord Resources section. For additional information call (833) 422-4255.

“Source of Income” (SOI) laws protect the rights of tenants to use income from public assistance, or other sources that may be viewed as non-traditional to pay rent. Housing providers cannot lawfully reject rental applicants because they receive, or will receive, assistance in paying their rent when they are otherwise qualified for the housing. Housing providers must include all sources of lawful income in determining whether a rental applicant is able to pay their rent. Click on on the links below for more information.


As part of the HUD Consolidated Plan Process, the City collaborated with the County of Ventura and other county cities to conduct an analysis of the regional housing market and report on conditions that affect housing affordability and availability. To view the City's actions and activities to address housing impediments identified in this report, see "Housing Issues, Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing" section of the City's CAPER report.



U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

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