Religion words in real estate listings

Check religion wording in your listing

Paste a sentence or your whole listing. It runs ListingLint's real rule engine in your browser; nothing is uploaded. christian neighborhood, walking distance to church, christian

Turn on JavaScript to run the check here, or use the free checker.

A word check, not a legal review. Open the full checker for fixes, the fact lock and the MLS character count.

Avoid

Avoid means an explicit preference or limitation, or a phrase on the avoid side of the cited word lists. This is the risk end of the scale, not a style choice.

• christian neighborhood Avoid

  A religious description of the home, residents or neighborhood states a religious preference. HUD's memo gives "Christian home" as an example.

Caution

Caution means the phrase is on the caution side of the cited lists, or describes people in a way that usually reads as a preference. Many agents still use some of these; the safer move is to describe the property instead.

• walking distance to church Caution

  Pointing buyers to a particular church, synagogue, temple or mosque as a selling point can signal a religious preference; "church, near" is on the avoid side of the LIBOR and NYPA lists. The NYPA and CRMLS lists accept the neutral "near places of worship".

• christian Caution

  Religious references are on the "never use" list for LIBOR members. If it's part of an official name (a school, a hospital), consider whether the listing needs it at all.

• ✡ Caution

  HUD's memo says a religious symbol, standing alone, may indicate a religious preference.

• god fearing Caution

  Describes people by religion. Leave it out of the listing.

• inside the eruv Caution

  Marketing a location by its religious boundary signals a religious preference for buyers, the same way "near church" does.

• near catholic school Caution

  Steering buyers toward a religious school is a religious reference used as a selling point. Naming the public school district is on the acceptable lists.

Depends

Depends means it's fine or not depending on how it's used. Read the reason, then decide for your sentence.

• church Depends

  Context matters. Describing the property itself (a converted church loft) or a place name (Temple Terrace) is fine under HUD's memo. Using a house of worship as a selling point is what the word lists warn against.

• sabbath elevator Depends

  Probably fine as a feature description (HUD's memo treats "kosher meals" and an on-site chapel as facilities, not preferences), but some lists advise against any religious reference.

Minor

Minor means usually fine and worth a second look. Treat it as a style question more than a legal one.

• parish Minor

  "Parish" is on the avoid lists as a religious reference, but in Louisiana a parish is the county. If that's what you mean, it's a place name.

OK

OK means a cited source treats it as acceptable. Any alternative shown is a house-style preference some offices or MLSs ask for, not a legal requirement.

• with chapel OK

  Describing a facility ("apartment complex with chapel") is not a violation per HUD's 1995 memo.

• kosher kitchen OK

  HUD's memo says describing services such as "kosher meals available" doesn't state a preference. A kosher kitchen is a property feature.

• merry christmas OK

  HUD's memo: secular holiday terms and greetings (Merry Christmas, Happy Easter) don't violate the Act.

• near places of worship OK

  "Places of worship, near" is on the acceptable side of the NYPA and CRMLS lists (LIBOR still advises against religious references in general).

Sources

• HUD "Achtenberg memo": Guidance Regarding Advertisements Under §804(c), Jan. 9, 1995
• HUD advertising regulation, 24 CFR § 100.75
• Long Island Board of REALTORS®: Fair Housing Advertising Word and Phrase Guidelines (Mar. 2025)
• Fair Housing Advertising Word and Phrase List (New York Press Assn.; source: Oklahoma Press Assn.)
• CRMLS Fair Housing Word & Phrase List (Apr. 2021)

The law behind the lists

The Fair Housing Act makes it illegal to publish a housing ad that indicates a preference, limitation or discrimination based on a protected class, and HUD's advertising regulation spells out how that applies to ads. The word lists above are how boards and MLSs put that into practice.

• Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. § 3604(c)
• HUD advertising regulation, 24 CFR § 100.75

Not legal advice. Word lists can't judge context, and laws differ by state and city; some states and cities protect more classes than federal law. When a listing matters, ask your broker or a fair housing attorney. ListingLint rules v2026.10.2.