Under Massachusetts law, refusing to rent to someone with a housing voucher is:

This question addresses a critical aspect of fair housing law that directly impacts real estate professionals' daily decisions. Source of income discrimination is a nuanced area where many practitioners have misconceptions. The core concept here is that Massachusetts law treats housing vouchers (like Section 8) as a protected class characteristic similar to race or religion. When analyzing the question, we must recognize that Massachusetts law explicitly prohibits discrimination based on source of income, which includes rejecting tenants because they use housing vouchers. This differs from federal law, which doesn't protect source of income discrimination. The challenge in this question lies in understanding the distinction between Massachusetts law and federal fair housing laws, as well as recognizing that local ordinances (like Boston's) might offer additional protections but don't create exceptions to the state law. This connects to broader real estate knowledge about fair housing protections, which vary by state and locality, and the importance of knowing both federal and applicable state regulations.