Bakersfield landlords cannot refuse to rent based on a tenant's lawful source of income, including Section 8 housing vouchers, under California's amended Fair Employment and Housing Act since 2020.
California Government Code 12955 protects renters from discrimination based on source of income, expanded in 2020 to include federal, state, and local housing subsidies such as Housing Choice Vouchers. Bakersfield landlords must therefore consider applicants holding Section 8 vouchers using the same screening criteria applied to non-voucher applicants, and may not advertise no Section 8 or refuse to participate in the voucher program. Income calculations must add the voucher subsidy to the tenant's portion before applying any rent-to-income ratio. Bakersfield has not added a local ordinance, but the state law applies in full and is enforced by the California Civil Rights Department.
Posting no-voucher ads, refusing to inspect for the housing authority, or applying higher income ratios to subsidized applicants can result in damages, civil penalties, and Civil Rights Department orders.
Bakersfield, CA
The Housing Authority of the County of Kern administers the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program for Bakersfield. Landlords must accept vouchers as a law...
Bakersfield, CA
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See how Bakersfield's source-of-income discrimination rules stack up against other locations.
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