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Practice Of Real EstateFair HousingEASY

Mrs. Chen owns a duplex in Baltimore County, lives in one unit, and wants to rent the other unit without using a real estate agent. She tells a prospective tenant she prefers not to rent to unmarried couples. Under the Maryland Fair Housing Act, which statement best describes her situation?

Correct Answer

A) She is in violation because Maryland adds marital status as a protected class, and no exemption applies here.

Maryland Fair Housing Act, Md. Code Ann., State Gov't § 20-701 et seq., explicitly adds marital status as a protected class beyond the seven federal protected classes. Although Mrs. Chen might otherwise qualify for the owner-occupant exemption (owner-occupied building with four or fewer units, no broker), that exemption does NOT permit discrimination based on marital status under Maryland law. Refusing to rent to unmarried couples constitutes marital status discrimination, which is prohibited in Maryland.

Answer Options
A
She is in violation because Maryland adds marital status as a protected class, and no exemption applies here.
B
She is exempt because the federal Mrs. Murphy exemption covers all owner-occupied buildings regardless of state law.
C
She is exempt because she is an owner-occupant in a two-unit building and is not using a broker.
D
She is exempt because marital status is not a protected class under Maryland law.

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Related Topics & Key Terms

Key Terms:

fair_housingexemptionsmarital_statusprotected_classmaryland_specific

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