State and local protected classes in listing copy

Check state / local classes wording in your listing

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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.

• no section 8 Avoid

  Source of income isn't a federal class, but many states and cities protect it (New York does, per LIBOR). "Section 8, no" and "public assistance, no" are on the LIBOR avoid list. "Section 8 accepted" is on the CRMLS acceptable list.

• married only Avoid

  Marital status is protected in many states (New York, per LIBOR) and overlaps with familial status and sex. "Married" is on all three cited avoid lists.

• no military Avoid

  Military status is protected in some states (New York and Suffolk County, per LIBOR).

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.

• pay stubs required Caution

  "Employed, must be" and "Paystub required" are on the LIBOR avoid list because they can exclude people with lawful non-wage income (benefits, vouchers, child support).

• no criminal records Caution

  "Criminal records, no" is on the LIBOR prohibited list. Several states and cities limit criminal-history screening, and blanket bans can have a discriminatory effect. (HUD's 2022 criminal-records guidance was withdrawn in Sept. 2025. State and local rules still apply.)

• no students Caution

  "Student(s)" and "students, no" are on the caution lists. Student status overlaps with age, and with source of income where that's protected.

• low income people Caution

  "Low income" is on LIBOR's prohibited list. Income-based descriptions of people can be a proxy for protected classes and for source of income.

• young buyers Caution

  Describes the buyers or neighbors by age. Age is protected in many states (New York, per LIBOR), and it overlaps with familial status.

Depends

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

• verifiable income Depends

  The sources disagree: NYPA and CRMLS list "verifiable income" as acceptable; LIBOR lists it as prohibited in New York because of source-of-income protections. Check your state.

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.

• credit check required OK

  "Credit check required", "references required", "Section 8 accepted" and "Equal Housing Opportunity" are on the NYPA/CRMLS acceptable lists.

Sources

• 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)
• LeadingAge: HUD withdraws fair housing guidance documents (Sept. 17, 2025 memo)

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.