Dane County Ordinance Protects Renters From "Section 8" Discrimination

In Madison, Wisconsin, WISC-TV Channel 3 reports:

• A Dane County ordinance bans landlords from discriminating against potential tenants based on their low-income status. In 2007, Dane County enacted an ordinance that prohibits landlords from turning Section 8 renters away. But the Tenant Resource Center ["TRC"], a local renter advocacy group, said that not all landlords are aware of this ordinance. "(Section 8 renters are) a protected class, just like being a woman, or your race, or your ethnicity and all of the other protected classes. So a landlord can not make a decision to rent to you because of the fact that you receive Section 8," said Brenda Konkel of the Tenant Resource Center.

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• The TRC said there is no provision in the county ordinance that states landlords can’t ask if someone is on Section 8. The TRC said landlords can still screen as they would with any other tenants. But the ordinance says that landlords have to accept this kind of payment of rent if the tenant meets all the other requirements. Ordinance violations range from $500 to $2,500.

For the story, see Landlords Prohibited From Denying Tenants Based On Section 8 (Group Says Some Landlords Not Aware Of County Ordinance).