Multifamily Blogs
Kids Will Be Kids – Even in Your Advertising
Kids Will Be Kids – Even in Your Advertising
Sometimes I struggle to come up with ideas for articles to post. And sometimes the repetitive questions from those who reach out to me for input signals a topic that ought to be addressed. Recently I have had a number of inquiries as to whether it is OK to advertise apartment housing with wording of “families” –“children”- “kids” – “kid friendly” and the like. (Which, by the way, is so much more positive than “we eat your young”.) And the answer to that question is (wait for it)…yes! It is perfectly acceptable (and more importantly, it is fair housing compliant) to advertise in favor of people with children and people with disabilities. How can that be, you might ask (or not). It is acceptable because people without children and people without disabilities have no fair housing protection. Thus affirmative advertising based on familial status and disability is just fine. Keep in mind, however, that this is not the case for any of the other federally protected classes. For example, you cannot advertise in favor of a particular race, because all other races have protection; you cannot advertise in favor of a particular religion, because all religions (and even those who ascribe to no religious beliefs) are protected. So go ahead and refer to children and kids, and show them in photos. Affirmatively reach out to those with disabilities and show folks with visible disabilities in your ads as well. Not only is this acceptable, such outreach on your behalf could help you defend against a claim that you discriminate against people with children or people with disabilities.
About the author
