For Immediate Release:
March 28, 2007

REALTORS^® SUPPORT HOUSING FOR ALL

New Jersey Association of REALTORS^® (NJAR^®) promotes Fair Housing Month throughout April

EDISON, N.J. - Throughout April, the New Jersey Association of REALTORS^® (NJAR^®) will support Fair Housing Month by helping to raise awareness and educate consumers about fair housing laws and the importance of equal opportunity in housing.

"All parties involved in real estate transactions including sellers, buyers, renters, landlords and real estate professionals have rights and responsibilities to help ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity for housing," said NJAR^® President Bill Hanley. "As advocates for the real estate industry, NJAR^® is here to help promote and educate consumers about these rights. That's what Fair Housing Month is all about."

In 2003, President Bush designated April as Fair Housing Month to mark the anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, which was signed on April 11, 1968 and was amended in 1988 with the National Association of REALTORS^®' (NAR) support. The original law strove to ensure equal housing opportunity for all, making it illegal to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The amendments extended protection to families with children and persons with disabilities.

The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD) prohibits discrimination when selling or renting property. The law covers owners, agents, employees and brokers and makes it unlawful to refuse to rent, show or sell property based on a person's race, creed, color, national origin, nationality, ancestry, marital status, domestic partnership status, familial status, gender identity or expression, affectional or sexual orientation, sex, or mental and physical disability, including AIDS and HIV-related illness.

• To help educate consumers, following are some fair housing tips that apply to the sale or rental of property:
• It is illegal to deny that housing is available for inspection, sale or rent when it really is available
• No discriminatory advertising of any kind relating to the proposed sale or rental is permitted
• A landlord may not charge a tenant with a disability an extra fee for keeping a service/guide dog
• It is illegal for a landlord or real estate professional to refuse to rent:
  -  To a single mother with children if this decision is based on her marital status or domestic partnership status
  -  A one bedroom apartment to two members of the same sex, if they are otherwise qualified
  -  To an individual with a mental or physical disability
  -  To a person with AIDS or HIV infection or to someone perceived to have AIDS or HIV infection

REALTORS^® are available to help guide consumers through all types of real estate transactions to help everyone find a home that meets their needs. For more information and/or to find a REALTOR^® that can help you, visit www.njar.com. For more information about LAD, please visit http://www.state.nj.us/lps/dcr/law.html and for more information about the Fair Housing Act, please visit http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/housing/housing_coverage.htm.

The New Jersey Association of REALTOR^® is a non-profit organization serving the professional needs of approximately 57,000 REALTOR^® and REALTOR-ASSOCIATE^® members in the state. 2007 marks the association's 90th anniversary year. REALTOR^® is a registered collective membership mark which may be used only by real estate professionals who subscribe to the REALTOR^® organization's strict Code of Ethics and are members of the national, state and local REALTOR^® organizations. For more information, please visit www.njar.com.

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Danielle Alpert
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Phone: (732) 494-4730
Fax: (732) 494-4723
E-mail: dalpert@njar.com