Rhode Island Fair Housing
Practice Questions & Answers (2026)
Fair housing is tested on every real estate exam in the country, but Rhode Island candidates must know both federal and state-level protections. While Rhode Island enforces the seven federal protected classes (race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, and disability), the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation also tests how these protections apply in Rhode Island-specific rental, sales, and advertising scenarios. 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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Rhode Island Fair Housing — Practice Questions & Answers
77 questions on Fair Housing from the Rhode Island real estate question bank. First 10 are free — sign up to unlock all 77.
Q1. Under the Fair Housing Act, 'familial status' as a protected class protects:
Explanation
Familial status protects families with one or more children under the age of 18, pregnant women, and anyone in the process of securing legal custody of a child under 18. Refusing to rent or sell to families with children is illegal under the Fair Housing Act.
Q2. Which of the following is an example of discriminatory advertising prohibited by the Fair Housing Act?
Explanation
Advertising that indicates a preference, limitation, or discrimination based on a protected class — such as 'no children,' 'adults only,' or preferences related to race, religion, national origin, etc. — is a violation of the Fair Housing Act.
Q3. Rhode Island's fair housing law adds which protected class that is NOT in the federal Fair Housing Act?
Explanation
Rhode Island's Fair Housing Practices Act includes sexual orientation and gender identity/expression as protected classes, providing broader protection than the federal Fair Housing Act, which does not explicitly list these classes at the federal level.
Q4. A person who believes they have been a victim of housing discrimination may file a complaint with HUD within:
Explanation
A complaint alleging a violation of the Fair Housing Act must be filed with HUD within 1 year (365 days) of the alleged discriminatory act. Complainants may also file a civil action in federal court within 2 years.
Q5. Blockbusting is the illegal practice of:
Explanation
Blockbusting (or panic selling) is the illegal practice of inducing owners to sell their property by suggesting that members of a protected class are or will be moving into the neighborhood, implying a change in property values or neighborhood character.
Q6. Steering in real estate refers to:
Explanation
Steering is the illegal practice of guiding buyers toward or away from specific neighborhoods based on their race, religion, national origin, or other protected characteristics. It perpetuates residential segregation and is prohibited under the Fair Housing Act.
Q7. Under the Fair Housing Act, a 'reasonable accommodation' for a disabled tenant might include:
Explanation
A reasonable accommodation is a change in rules, policies, practices, or services that allows a disabled person to have equal opportunity to use housing. Allowing a service animal in a no-pets building is a classic example of a required reasonable accommodation.
Q8. The Rhode Island Fair Housing Practices Act is administered by:
Explanation
The Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights (RICHR) enforces the Rhode Island Fair Housing Practices Act at the state level. Complaints may also be filed with HUD at the federal level.
Q9. The federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 originally protected which classes?
Explanation
The original Fair Housing Act of 1968 protected race, color, religion, and national origin. The Act was amended in 1974 to add sex, and in 1988 to add disability and familial status, creating the current seven federal protected classes.
Q10. A landlord in Providence refuses to rent to someone because they use a Section 8 housing voucher. Under Rhode Island law, this may constitute:
Explanation
Rhode Island's fair housing law prohibits discrimination based on source of income, which includes Section 8 housing vouchers. Landlords may not refuse to rent to otherwise qualified applicants solely because they use a housing subsidy.
Q11. Redlining is an illegal practice in which:
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