Race / color / Fair Housing phrase guide
Is "ghetto" a Fair Housing violation in a listing?
Avoid Flagged as high risk: most word lists put this on the avoid side.
Why
Describes a neighborhood in racial or ethnic terms, which HUD's memo says creates liability.
Safer wording
Describe the property, not the people: rewrite this part by hand.
Check your whole listing in seconds
Paste any draft, including AI-written copy. Every risky phrase lights up with the reason and a safer rewrite. Free, and it runs in your browser: your text is never uploaded.
Open the free checkerSources
- HUD "Achtenberg memo": Guidance Regarding Advertisements Under §804(c), Jan. 9, 1995
- Long Island Board of REALTORS®: Fair Housing Advertising Word and Phrase Guidelines (Mar. 2025)
Related phrases
Not legal advice. Word lists can't judge context, and laws differ by state and city. Rule race-ghetto, ListingLint rules v2026.10.1.