The City of Ithaca's Fair Housing Ordinance, modeled after the New York State Human Rights Law, prohibits discrimination based on: Race, creed, color, national origin, marital status, sex, sexual preference, or disability.

The New York State Human Rights Law, as amended, prohibits discrimination based on age, creed, national origin, sex, race, color, marital status, or disability.

These laws provide protection against:

• Application forms and interviews that ask about your race, religion, color, national origin, marital status, sex, sexual preference, disability, or age.
• Advertisements that discriminate.
• Discrimination in the terms or conditions for property rental or purchase.
• Misrepresentations to the effect that property is not available for inspection,rental, or sale, when in fact it is.
• Retaliation because you filed a complaint or opposed practices forbidden by law.
• "Blockbusting," which is any effort by real estate brokers or sales people to persuade owners to sell their houses by telling them that minority groups are moving into their neighborhood.
• Discrimination in obtaining credit, including mortgage and home improvement loans from banks and other financial institutions.

These laws generally do not apply to:

• One or two unit owner-occupied homes.
• Rental of room(s) in a house or apartment by the occupant or owner occupant.
• The rental of room(s) in a house or apartment to only members of one gender.