Washington State Real Estate Practice Exam

Does the Fair Housing Act prohibit discrimination based on marital status in Washington State?

1. True

2. False

3. Only for rental properties

4. Only for buyers

The correct answer is: False

The Fair Housing Act, a federal law, does not specifically include marital status as a protected characteristic. While some states, including Washington, have their own fair housing laws that add additional protections beyond those provided at the federal level, marital status is generally not recognized as a protected class in federal law. Washington State does have certain protections regarding marital status in other areas of law, but the Fair Housing Act itself focuses on categories such as race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability. Therefore, stating that the Fair Housing Act does not prohibit discrimination based on marital status in Washington State accurately reflects the scope of protections under the federal law, leading to the conclusion that the answer indicating it does not prohibit such discrimination is correct.