Absolutely. Let the market decide.
About 10 years ago, a white couple attempted to rent a garage apartment from a black woman, who refused to rent to them because of their race.
She flat out told them that she didn't want to rent to white people.
Well, the couple got their panties in a wad over it and filed a suit. Of course, the black lady lost. A court decided that she had to rent to them even though it was HER garage attached to HER house on HER property.
"Of course, the black lady lost."
As well she should have - if she wants to be selective of who she rents to on the basis of something so petty as the colour of their skin, then she shouldn't be renting, period.
As I mentioned earlier, being selective for certain valid reasons (such as excluding known offenders, etc) is one thing; discriminating over skin colour is another, and wrong - no matter how you slice it. We preach morality (for the most part) on this forum, and the idea that anyone here would want a law to protect bigotry is ludicrous.
If you dislike someone because of their skin colour, you're entitled to feel that way. Don't impose your prejudice in a public venue and expect to get away with under some banner of "freedom of assication".
"Absolutely. Let the market decide."
My (Orthodox Jewish) landlord has quite a few African-American tenants in his building. When one of them moves out, he tries to bring in Jewish tenants -- not because he dislikes blacks, but because he wants to make the neighborhood more Jewish. Believe me, he would rent it out to a black convert to Judaism, so the issue here isn't race.
Ironically, his loyalty to the Jewish community is hurting him financially, since many of the African-Americans are outstanding & upstanding tenants. They pay the rent regularly & don't make as many demands as do some of the Jewish tenants.
Sometimes beliefs take precedence over market value. (Again, his beliefs have nothing to do with racial prejudice. And he has very good relations with his black tenants.)
Here are the details on the Fair Housing Act. It is curious that this lady would have lost her case. It would seem that she could avoid this issue if she had fewer than four units.
The law is pretty specific. Perhaps, it wasn't owner-occupied.
Basic Facts About the Fair Housing Act
What Housing Is Covered?
The Fair Housing Act covers most housing. In some circumstances, the Act exempts owner-occupied buildings with no more than four units, single-family housing sold or rented without the use of a broker, and housing operated by organizations and private clubs that limit occupancy to members.
What Is Prohibited?
In the Sale and Rental of Housing: No one may take any of the following actions based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or handicap:
Refuse to rent or sell housing
Refuse to negotiate for housing
Make housing unavailable
Deny a dwelling
Set different terms, conditions or privileges for sale or rental of a dwelling
Provide different housing services or facilities
Falsely deny that housing is available for inspection, sale, or rental
For profit, persuade owners to sell or rent (blockbusting) or
Deny anyone access to or membership in a facility or service (such as a multiple listing service) related to the sale or rental of housing.
In Mortgage