[HISTORY: Adopted by the Village Council of the Village of
Cassopolis 8-10-2015 by Ord. No.
253.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Rental housing — See Ch. 283.
[1]
Editor's Note: This chapter also superseded former Ch.
220, Housing Discrimination, adopted 8-11-1980 by Ord. No. 142 (Ch.
22, Art. II, of the 2003 Code of Ordinances).
A.
In furthering the policy of the State of Michigan as expressed in
its Constitution and other laws; in order that the safety and general
welfare, peace and health of all the inhabitants of the Village may
be ensured, it is hereby declared the policy of the Village of Cassopolis,
Michigan, to assure equal opportunity to all residents, regardless
of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, creed,
or physical disability to live in decent, sanitary, healthful, standard
living quarters.
B.
It is the policy of the Village of Cassopolis that no owner, lessee,
sublessee, assignee, managing agent, or other person, firm or corporation
having the right to sell, rent, lease (or otherwise control) any housing
accommodation and/or real property within the Village, or any agent
of these shall refuse to sell, rent, lease, or otherwise deny to or
withhold from any person or group of persons such housing accommodations
and/or real property because of race, color, religion, national origin
or ancestry, sex, creed, or disability of such person or persons or
discriminate against any person or persons because of race, color,
religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, creed or disability in
the conditions, terms, privileges of the sale, rental or lease of
any housing accommodation and/or real property or in the furnishing
of facilities and/or services in connection therewith.
C.
Relocation shall be carried out in a manner that will promote maximum
choice within the community's total housing supply; lessen racial,
ethnic, and economic concentrations; and facilitate desegregation
and racially inclusive patterns of occupancy and use of public and
private facilities.
Unless a different meaning clearly appears from the context,
the following terms shall have the meaning as described in this section
and as used in this chapter.
"Decent, sanitary, healthful standard living quarters" is
housing which is in sound, clean, and weathertight condition in conformance
with applicable local, state, and national codes.
The terms "discriminate" or "discrimination" mean any difference
expressed in any way toward a person or persons in the terms of the
sale, exchange, lease, rental or financing for housing accommodation
and/or real property in regard to such sale, exchange, rental, lease
or finance because of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry,
sex, creed, or disability of such person.
The term "financial institution" means any person, institution
or business entity of any kind which loans money to persons and receives
as security for said loans a secured interest of any kind in the real
property of the borrower.
The term "housing accommodation" includes any building, structure,
or portion thereof which is used or occupied, maintained, arranged
or designed to be used or occupied as a home, residence or sleeping
place of one or more human beings, or any real estate so used, designed
or intended for such use.
An "owner" means any person/persons who hold legal or equitable
title to, or own any beneficial interest in any real property or who
hold legal or equitable title to shares of, or hold any beneficial
interest in, any real estate cooperative which owns any real property
and/or housing accommodations.
The term "real estate broker" means any person, partnership,
association, corporation and/or agent thereof who, for a fee or other
valuable consideration, offers sells, purchases, exchanges or rents,
or negotiates for the sale, purchase, exchange or rental of a housing
accommodation and/or real property of another, or collects rental
for the use of housing accommodation and/or real property of another.
The term "real property" means any real estate, vacant land,
building, structure or housing accommodations within the corporate
limits of the Village of Cassopolis, Michigan.
A.
It shall be unlawful for any owner of real estate, lessee, sublessee,
real estate broker or salesman, financial institution or employee
of the financial institution, advertiser, or agent of any or all of
the foregoing, to discriminate against any person or persons because
of their race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex,
creed, or disability with regard to the sale, exchange or rental,
or any dealing concerning any housing accommodation and/or real property.
B.
In addition to the foregoing, it shall also be unlawful for any real
estate broker or employee thereof, owner or other person, or financial
institution dealing with housing or real property in the Village of
Cassopolis, Michigan:
(1)
To discriminate against any person in the availability of or the
price, terms, conditions, or privileges of any kind relating to the
sale, rental, lease, or occupancy of any housing accommodation or
real property in the Village/City or in furnishing of any facilities
or services in connection therewith.
(2)
To publish or circulate, or cause to be published or circulated,
any notice, statement or advertisement, or to announce a policy, or
to use any form of application, for the purchase, lease, rental or
financing of real property, or to make any record of inquiry in connection
with the prospective purchase, rental or lease of such real estate,
which expresses directly or indirectly any discrimination as to race,
color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, creed or disability
of any person.
(3)
To discriminate in connection with lending money, guaranteeing loans,
accepting mortgages or otherwise obtaining or making available funds
for the purchase, acquisition, construction, rehabilitation, repair
or maintenance of any housing accommodation and/or real property.
(4)
To solicit for sale, lease, or listing for the sale or lease, of
any housing accommodation and/or real property on the grounds of loss
of value because of the present or prospective entry into any neighborhood
of any person or persons of any particular race, color, religion,
national origin or ancestry, sex, creed, or disability.
(5)
To distribute or cause to be distributed, written material or statements
designed to induce any owner or any housing accommodation and/or real
property to sell or lease his or her property because of any present
or prospective change in the race, color, religion, national origin
or ancestry, sex, creed, or disability of persons in the neighborhood.
(6)
To make any misrepresentations concerning the listing for sale or
the anticipated listing for sale or the sale of any housing accommodation
and/or real property for the purpose of inducing or attempting to
induce the sale or listing for sale of any housing accommodation and/or
real property by representing that the presence or anticipated presence
of persons of any particular race, color, religion, national origin
or ancestry, sex, creed, or disability in the area will or may result
in the lowering of property values in the block, neighborhood or area
in which the property is located.
(7)
For an owner to solicit any real estate broker to sell, rent or otherwise
deal with such owner's housing accommodations and/or real property
with any limitation on its sale based on race, color, religion, national
origin or ancestry, sex, creed, or disability.
(8)
For an owner to refuse to sell, rent, or otherwise deal with any
housing accommodation and/or real property because of race, color,
religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, creed, or disability of
the proposed buyer or tenant.
Any person convicted of violating any of the provisions of this
chapter shall be punished by a fine of not less than $100 nor more
than $1,500. Each day a violation continues shall constitute a separate
violation. This section shall in no way abrogate or impair the right
of the Village of Cassopolis, Michigan, to specifically enforce, by
any legal means, any of the provisions of this chapter.