Foundational pillar / check fair-housing-notice
Equal Housing Opportunity notice
Checks for the Equal Housing Opportunity logotype, statement, or slogan, which HUD guidance treats as alternatives.
By Shimon Carroll, Founder, SEO for AI Agents · Last updated
What this check measures
Visible wording such as "Equal Housing Opportunity", "Equal Housing Lender", or "fair housing", or an image whose file name or alt text identifies the Equal Housing logo.
Why it matters
The Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3604(c), bars discriminatory housing advertising. HUD’s advertising guidance says advertising should carry an Equal Housing Opportunity logotype, statement, or slogan, choosing among the three by ad size and medium. It is not a "logo in every footer" rule, and brokerage or state policy may prefer a specific form.
How we score it
A review prompt, not a legal verdict. Runs only on residential real estate audits. When the cue is missing the finding is medium severity at medium confidence, which lowers the foundational pillar by about 2.4 points. A pass is informational and never scores. Each finding names who should review it, quotes what we saw on the page, and cites the primary source. Where the page shows a US address we name the inferred state; otherwise the wording is state-agnostic.
Confidence-flag rules
MEDIUM: wording and image names are read exactly, but a logo with a generic file name and no alt text cannot be recognised, so a fail may be a missed logo.
Common mistakes
- An Equal Housing logo image with no alt text, invisible to crawlers and screen readers.
- Using the notice on some listings but not others (selective use).
- Treating the notice as a substitute for reviewing listing copy.
How to fix it
Add one of the three forms to your footer and listing pages, give any logo image descriptive alt text, and confirm with your managing broker which form your brokerage uses.
Primary sources
- HUD Handbook 4310.5 REV-2, Chapter 9 (Equal Housing Opportunity logotype, statement or slogan)
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
- 42 U.S.C. 3604, Discrimination in the sale or rental of housing
Legal Information Institute (U.S. Code)
Changelog
- · New. This rule used to live only in the vertical configuration and never ran. It is now a registered review check with a cited primary source, framed as a prompt to review with a professional rather than a pass or fail legal verdict.