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Tom, a 72-year-old retired teacher, applies to rent an apartment in Helena, Montana. The landlord tells Tom that she does not rent to retirees because they tend to have fixed incomes and she worries about their ability to pay rent long-term. Tom has an excellent credit score and sufficient retirement income to qualify under the landlord's stated financial criteria. Under Montana law, which of the following statements is most accurate?

Correct Answer

B) The landlord's decision is unlawful because it constitutes age discrimination under the Montana Human Rights Act

The Montana Human Rights Act (MCA Title 49, Chapter 2) prohibits discrimination in housing based on age. Although the landlord frames her concern as financial, she explicitly refused to rent to Tom because he is a retiree — a classification directly tied to age. Since Tom meets the landlord's own financial criteria, the stated financial concern is pretextual, and the refusal constitutes age discrimination under Montana state law.

Answer Options
A
The landlord's decision is lawful because income level is a legitimate qualification criterion for tenants
B
The landlord's decision is unlawful because it constitutes age discrimination under the Montana Human Rights Act
C
The landlord's decision is lawful because the federal Fair Housing Act does not protect against age discrimination
D
The landlord's decision is unlawful because it violates the federal Fair Housing Act's protection for individuals over 65

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Related Topics & Key Terms

Key Terms:

age_discriminationstate_protected_classesmontana_human_rights_actrental_housing

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