Ashland — Ch. 20 Human Relations § 20-23
Refusals to deal
Operative Text
It shall be an unlawful housing practice and a violation of this article for any owner or other person to refuse to negotiate for, enter into, or perform any sale or lease of any dwelling or housing because of the race, color, religion, gender, creed, ancestry, national origin, or physical or mental disability of any party to such sale or lease, or of any member of the family of any such party, or of any person using or occupying or intending to use or occupy such dwelling or housing, or of any person using or occupying any dwelling or housing in the area in which such dwelling or housing is located.
Ashland Ch. 20 § 20-23 establishes that housing owners and related parties may not refuse to negotiate, enter into, or carry out a sale or lease of a dwelling based on protected characteristics. Those characteristics include race, color, religion, gender, creed, ancestry, national origin, or physical or mental disability. The protection extends not only to the direct buyer or renter but also to their family members and to others who occupy or intend to occupy the dwelling or nearby housing.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under Ashland Ch. 20 § 20-23, compliant property owners and managers engage with all prospective buyers and renters on equal terms, without regard to protected characteristics such as race, religion, disability, or national origin. This means that negotiation, contract execution, and lease performance are conducted through consistent, documented processes applied uniformly to all applicants. Operators generally maintain records of their application and selection criteria to demonstrate that decisions are grounded in neutral, lawful factors.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Ashland Ch. 20 § 20-23 gives prospective and current residents the right to be free from refusals to negotiate or complete a housing transaction based on protected characteristics like race, disability, gender, or national origin. If a landlord or seller appears to have declined to deal with someone on one of these grounds, that conduct may constitute an unlawful housing practice under this article. Affected individuals can explore options such as filing a complaint with a local human relations commission, raising the violation as a defense in a related proceeding, or reaching out to a tenant-rights or fair-housing organization for general information.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 9, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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