The 7 fair housing protected classes, explained for the Texas exam.
Learn the statutory list, what each class means, how Texas law applies, and the fact patterns that turn memorized words into correct exam answers.
The seven federal protected classes are race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, and disability. The Texas Fair Housing Act uses the same seven class labels. Pearson VUE places Fair Housing on the national portion of the Texas salesperson exam and assigns three scored items to the category.
A statutory Fair Housing Act class. Federal Section 1982 also independently bars racial discrimination in property transactions.
Separate from race. It covers discrimination because of skin color, shade, or complexion.
Protects a person from housing discrimination because of religion.
Protects a person from discrimination connected to their country of origin or ancestry.
Congress added sex in 1974. For the exam, keep the statutory class label exactly as written: sex.
Covers pregnancy, living with a child under 18, and being in the process of securing legal custody of a child under 18.
Covers qualifying physical or mental impairments, a record of such an impairment, or being regarded as having one.
Use a three-question check on every scenario.
A strong answer does more than name a class. It connects the protected trait to a housing decision, then handles any claimed exemption with care.
Who is affected?
Identify whether the facts involve race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, or disability.
What happened?
Look for a refusal, different terms, discriminatory advertising, steering, blockbusting, redlining, or a disability-related request.
Is an exemption actually available?
Read every condition. Do not turn a narrow owner exemption into permission for a license holder to discriminate.
Pearson VUE's national salesperson outline gives Fair Housing 3 scored items. The outline expressly names protected classes, fair housing laws, illegal practices, enforcement and penalties, prohibited advertising, HUD, and ADA. Texas Property Code Chapter 301 is state law you should understand, but do not mistake Fair Housing for one of the six scored areas in the Texas state-law outline.
The discriminatory acts the exam names.
Each of these is prohibited when based on a protected class. The exam often asks you to identify the act from a scenario.
Steering
Directing buyers or renters toward or away from neighborhoods based on a protected class, even if framed as helpful.
Blockbusting
Inducing owners to sell by suggesting people of a protected class are moving into the area (also called panic selling).
Redlining
Refusing or restricting loans, insurance, or services in an area based on the protected makeup of the residents.
Refusing to deal
Refusing to sell, rent, negotiate, or making housing unavailable because of a protected class.
Different terms or services
Offering different prices, terms, conditions, or services because of a protected class.
Discriminatory advertising
Stating a preference, limitation, or discrimination based on a protected class in any advertisement.
How Texas treats fair housing.
Texas uses the same seven class labels and adds a precise rule for hair texture and protective hairstyles under the race class. Its exemptions are narrow, and the conditions are not identical.
Is the Texas Fair Housing Act different from the federal law?
Texas Property Code Chapter 301 uses the same seven statutory class labels as the federal Fair Housing Act. Texas also specifies that race discrimination under most of Chapter 301 includes discrimination because of hair texture or a protective hairstyle commonly or historically associated with race. Local ordinances may add protections, so check the law for the property location before acting.
What are the main exemptions?
The main exam examples are a qualifying owner-handled single-family transaction and an owner-occupied dwelling for no more than four families, often called the Mrs. Murphy exemption. The single-family provision has a no-broker condition. The owner-occupied provision does not contain that same condition. Discriminatory advertising remains prohibited, Section 1982 separately bars race discrimination, and a license holder must not treat an owner's possible exemption as permission to discriminate.
Does fair housing cover sexual orientation and gender identity?
Sexual orientation and gender identity are not separate labels in the Fair Housing Act's seven-class list. Questions about whether particular conduct is discrimination because of sex can depend on current law, agency policy, and the facts. HUD's public overview currently lists the seven statutory classes, while some local laws or housing programs may provide additional protections. For the licensing exam, memorize the seven statutory labels. For a real transaction, verify the current rules and local ordinance.
Spot the fair-housing issue.
Four scenarios in the style the exam uses. Tap to reveal the answer.
1. A rental ad reads "perfect for mature adults, no children." What is the violation?
Answer: familial status discrimination. Households with children under 18 are a protected class, and stating "no children" is discriminatory advertising, which is not excused by the private-owner exemptions discussed on this page.
2. An agent tells a buyer, "you'll feel more comfortable on the east side, that's where families like yours live." Steering or blockbusting?
Answer: steering. Steering directs a buyer or renter toward or away from areas based on a protected class. Blockbusting is different: inducing owners to sell by suggesting people of a protected class are moving in.
3. An owner of two homes sells one herself with no broker. May she advertise "prefer a Christian family"?
Answer: no. The single-family owner exemption can apply to the transaction, but discriminatory advertising is not covered by that exemption. A stated religious preference in the ad violates fair housing regardless of the owner-sale exemption.
4. A tenant with a qualifying disability asks for an assigned parking space near the entrance. The landlord says every tenant must use unassigned parking. What should happen?
Answer: evaluate the request as a reasonable accommodation. A neutral rule may need an exception when that change is necessary for a person with a disability to use and enjoy the dwelling. The exam may contrast an accommodation, which changes a rule or service, with a modification, which changes the physical property.
When a scenario raises an exemption, identify which exemption it is before checking the conditions. The no-broker condition belongs to the owner-handled single-family provision. It is not written into the owner-occupied four-family provision. Discriminatory advertising remains prohibited, and Section 1982 separately bars race discrimination.
Connect fair housing to the rest of the exam.
For the full treatment of the prohibited acts and the narrow exemptions, see fair housing violations and exemptions. Disability access splits by property type in the ADA guide (commercial versus residential). Fair housing also shows up through conduct and advertising: advertising rules (discriminatory ads are never exempt), standards of conduct and discipline, and duties to clients and fair treatment.
Frequently asked questions
How many federal fair housing protected classes are there?
Seven: race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, and disability. Race and color came first in 1968, sex was added in 1974, and familial status and disability were added by the 1988 amendments.
What is the difference between steering and blockbusting?
Steering is guiding a buyer or renter toward or away from areas based on a protected class. Blockbusting is convincing owners to sell, often cheaply, by suggesting that people of a protected class are moving in. Both are prohibited under fair housing law.
Who enforces fair housing in Texas?
At the federal level, HUD enforces the Fair Housing Act. In Texas, the Texas Workforce Commission Civil Rights Division administers the Texas Fair Housing Act. Complaints can generally be filed with either agency.
Does the exam test the protected classes by year added?
It can. A common question asks which class was added by the 1988 amendments: the answer is familial status and disability. Knowing the original 1968 classes versus the later additions is worth memorizing.
Where does fair housing fit on the Texas exam?
Pearson VUE's national salesperson outline assigns three scored items to Fair Housing within Practice of Real Estate. The listed subjects include protected classes, fair housing laws, illegal practices, enforcement, prohibited advertising, HUD, and ADA. Texas law and license-holder discipline still matter in practice. Pass Texas drills these distinctions across 1,377 questions for one $59.99 purchase.