Illinois Fair Housing
Practice Questions & Answers (2026)
Fair housing is tested on every real estate exam in the country, but Illinois candidates must know both federal and state-level protections. Illinois extends fair housing protections beyond the seven federal protected classes, adding additional categories under state law that are specifically tested on the IL state exam. Steering, blockbusting, redlining, and discriminatory advertising are all tested — and candidates who think they know fair housing cold often miss the state-specific extensions or the nuanced application scenarios. Review every question here carefully.
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Illinois Fair Housing — Practice Questions & Answers
119 questions on Fair Housing from the Illinois real estate question bank. First 10 are free — sign up to unlock all 119.
Q1. The Illinois Human Rights Act provides fair housing protection that EXPANDS on the federal Fair Housing Act by adding which additional protected class?
Explanation
The Illinois Human Rights Act includes sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes for housing, going beyond the federal Fair Housing Act's seven protected classes.
Q2. Redlining is the illegal practice of:
Explanation
Redlining is the illegal practice of refusing to provide loans, insurance, or other financial services in geographic areas based on the racial or ethnic composition of those areas. It violates the Fair Housing Act and the Community Reinvestment Act.
Q3. Under the Fair Housing Act, which type of property is generally NOT exempt from fair housing requirements?
Explanation
Buildings with 5 or more units are NOT exempt from the Fair Housing Act. Limited exemptions exist for owner-occupied buildings with 4 or fewer units (the 'Mrs. Murphy' exemption), single-family homes sold without a broker, and housing operated by religious organizations for their members.
Q4. A real estate agent who tells a seller they cannot reject an offer based on the buyer's race is acting:
Explanation
An agent is acting properly and legally when they inform a seller that rejecting an offer based on the buyer's race is illegal under the Fair Housing Act. Agents have an obligation not to participate in or facilitate fair housing violations.
Q5. Blockbusting (also called panic selling) is the illegal practice of:
Explanation
Blockbusting is the illegal practice of inducing homeowners to sell their properties at deflated prices by suggesting that protected class members are moving into the neighborhood, implying a decline in property values. It violates the Fair Housing Act.
Q6. Under the Fair Housing Act, a landlord may refuse to rent to a person with a disability who:
Explanation
A landlord may refuse to rent to any applicant — disabled or not — based on legitimate, non-discriminatory factors such as a documented history of property damage. A landlord cannot refuse based solely on the disability itself and must provide reasonable accommodations.
Q7. The Illinois Human Rights Act covers which of the following that the federal Fair Housing Act does NOT?
Explanation
The Illinois Human Rights Act provides additional protected classes beyond the federal Fair Housing Act, including marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and unfavorable military discharge status. The federal act covers race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, and familial status.
Q8. Steering is the illegal practice of:
Explanation
Steering is the illegal practice of directing buyers or renters toward or away from certain neighborhoods, communities, or buildings based on their race, religion, national origin, or other protected class. It deprives people of their right to choose where they want to live.
Q9. A fair housing complaint under the federal Fair Housing Act must be filed with HUD within:
Explanation
A complaint under the federal Fair Housing Act must be filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) within one year of the alleged discriminatory act. Complaints filed after one year may not be accepted.
Q10. A landlord tells a prospective tenant 'we don't have any vacancies' when in fact units are available, because the landlord does not want to rent to someone of a particular national origin. This is an example of:
Explanation
Lying to a protected class member about unit availability to avoid renting to them is a discriminatory misrepresentation (sometimes called pretextual denial) and violates the Fair Housing Act. HUD testers are used to identify this type of discrimination.
Q11. The Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in real estate transactions based on which protected class NOT covered by the federal Fair Housing Act?
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