New York Fair Housing
Practice Questions & Answers (2026)
Fair housing is tested on every real estate exam in the country, but New York candidates must know both federal and state-level protections. New York extends fair housing protections beyond the seven federal protected classes, adding additional categories under state law that are specifically tested on the NY 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.
New York Exam Study Resources
Everything you need to pass — in one place.
New York Fair Housing — Practice Questions & Answers
95 questions on Fair Housing from the New York real estate question bank. First 10 are free — sign up to unlock all 95.
Q1. New York State's Human Rights Law provides fair housing protections that are:
Explanation
New York's Human Rights Law provides broader fair housing protections than federal law, adding protected classes including sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, and source of income.
Q2. Blockbusting (panic peddling) is best described as:
Explanation
Blockbusting (panic peddling) is the illegal practice of inducing homeowners to sell by suggesting that a protected class group is moving into the neighborhood and that property values will decline.
Q3. Redlining is an illegal practice where:
Explanation
Redlining is the illegal practice of refusing to make loans or providing inferior loan terms in certain geographic areas based on the racial or ethnic composition of the neighborhood, regardless of individual creditworthiness.
Q4. Under the Fair Housing Act, 'source of income' as a protected class means:
Explanation
In jurisdictions like New York that protect source of income, landlords cannot refuse to rent to tenants solely because they receive housing vouchers (like Section 8) or other forms of public assistance.
Q5. The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination based on all of the following EXCEPT:
Explanation
The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability (7 classes). Sexual orientation is not a federal protected class under the FHA, though it is protected under New York State law.
Q6. Steering is the illegal practice of:
Explanation
Steering is the illegal practice of directing or channeling buyers toward or away from particular neighborhoods based on their race, religion, national origin, or other protected characteristics.
Q7. Under the Fair Housing Act, the exemption for owner-occupied buildings with four or fewer units applies only if:
Explanation
The 'Mrs. Murphy exemption' allows owners of owner-occupied buildings with four or fewer units to exercise some personal discretion in tenant selection, but only if the owner lives in the building and does not use discriminatory advertising or a real estate broker.
Q8. Under fair housing law, 'familial status' means:
Explanation
Familial status is a protected class that includes households with one or more children under 18 living with a parent or guardian, and pregnant women. Refusing to rent to families with children is an illegal fair housing violation.
Q9. A landlord who charges a higher security deposit to a tenant with a disability to cover potential costs of a service animal is:
Explanation
Charging higher deposits specifically because of a disability or due to a service or assistive animal is a fair housing violation. Landlords must allow service animals and emotional support animals as reasonable accommodations without extra fees.
Q10. The New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL) provides fair housing protections that are:
Explanation
The NYC Human Rights Law is widely considered one of the most comprehensive anti-discrimination statutes in the nation, providing broader protections than both federal and state law, including more protected classes and a more plaintiff-friendly standard.
Q11. A housing provider may legally deny an applicant with a disability the right to keep a service animal in a no-pets building if:
85 more Fair Housing questions
Create a free account to unlock all 95 New York Fair Housing questions with full explanations.
Free account · No credit card · Instant access to 25 questions
Ready to take the full exam? Start free.
25 free questions · No signup · Instant access to all New York topics