The Illinois Association of Realtors has created a new World Wide Web site, www.TheHousingSite.org, to provide consumers with information on state and federal fair housing laws, the association said today.
The Housing Site provides consumers access to information related to fair housing laws and regulations regarding: housing, advertising, real estate practices, lending, rental practices, credit and insurance.
The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status and handicap.
The site also provides useful links to state and federal affordable housing resources for seniors and the disabled as well as renter assistance and mortgage assistance programs, the association said.
The site, developed by the association with the Partnership for HomeOwnership Foundation, provides a broad range of information on fair housing laws, as well as other housing information for real estate professionals, lenders, renters, landlords, homebuyers, seller, insurers and appraisers.
Stan Sieron, president of the Illinois Association of Realtors, said the site is part of his association’s commitment to further awareness of the fair housing laws of this country and the state of Illinois.
“All parties involved in the sale or rental of real estate–from Realtors to lenders to consumers–are key audiences for this Web site,” said Sieron.
“Illinois has so many housing resources and programs that the people who need them the most don’t know where to go to access them,” said Sieron, broker/owner of Stan Sieron and Co. in Belleville.
If consumers think that the fair housing laws and their rights have been violated, the Web site includes procedures for how to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Downloadable resources and brochures on fair housing are also included on the www.TheHousingSite.org Web site both in English and Spanish. The site will soon be converted to Spanish
Created in 1996, the Partnership for HomeOwnership is a not-for-profit foundation that has helped over 1,400 individuals in low-income rural areas in Illinois achieve homeownership.
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