Discrimination in the rental, sale, appraisal, financing or insuring of housing is illegal. Not everything that happens to you is discrimination, but discrimination does exist. You should be aware of the ways in which discrimination in housing occurs. 
Fair Housing Laws
The federal Fair Housing Act assures everyone the right to equal opportunity in housing regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, disability, or because of children. This law applies to landlords and real estate agents, as well as mortgage lenders and homeowners' insurance agents. This law makes it illegal, based on any of these factors:
Refuse to rent or sell you a house or apartment, or to refuse to give you a loan or insurance policy;
Offer different prices or charges to different people for the same product, use different standards to evaluate your qualifications, or enforce rules in a different way;
Advertise in a way that shows a preference or limitation for a certain group of people;
Say a house or apartment is unavailable when in fact it is;
Engage in "steering" which means limiting your choices of housing to a certain neighborhood or part of an apartment complex.
The California Fair Employment and Housing Act is a state law that contains mostly the same protections as the Fair Housing Act. However, it adds two factors to the list of protected groups: marital status and ancestry.
The Equal Credit Opportunity Act is a federal law that makes it illegal to discriminate in any credit transaction, including home mortgages, car loans and personal loans, based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, marital status, age, or the fact that one receives welfare or other public assistance.
Click here for information on signs of possible discrimination in the renting of a house or apartment.
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