Wisconsin Real Estate License Wisconsin Real Estate License Fair Housing and Ethics Questions and Answers 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under Wisconsin law, which of the following is considered a protected class in addition to the federal Fair Housing Act's protections?
- Marital status (Correct answer)
- Employment history
- Credit score
- Vehicle ownership
Correct answer: Marital status
Wisconsin's Open Housing Law extends fair housing protections to include marital status, which is not covered under the federal Fair Housing Act.
Question 2: A real estate agent in Wisconsin receives a request from a buyer to only show homes in neighborhoods with a specific racial composition. What should the agent do?
- Refuse the request and explain fair housing laws (Correct answer)
- Comply since the buyer is the client
- Show only a few homes in those areas
- Refer the buyer to another agent who will comply
Correct answer: Refuse the request and explain fair housing laws
Steering buyers toward or away from neighborhoods based on race violates both federal and Wisconsin fair housing laws, and the agent must refuse.
Question 3: Which Wisconsin state agency is primarily responsible for enforcing the state's fair housing laws?
- Department of Workforce Development, Equal Rights Division (Correct answer)
- Department of Administration
- Department of Safety and Professional Services
- Office of the Attorney General
Correct answer: Department of Workforce Development, Equal Rights Division
The Equal Rights Division within the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development handles fair housing complaints and enforcement at the state level.
Question 4: A Wisconsin landlord refuses to rent to a prospective tenant because the tenant has a legal source of income from Section 8 vouchers. Is this legal?
- No, Wisconsin prohibits discrimination based on lawful source of income (Correct answer)
- Yes, landlords may choose tenants based on any financial criteria
- Yes, but only for properties with fewer than four units
- No, but only in municipalities that have adopted local ordinances
Correct answer: No, Wisconsin prohibits discrimination based on lawful source of income
Wisconsin's fair housing law protects tenants from discrimination based on lawful source of income, including housing vouchers.
Question 5: What is the statute of limitations for filing a fair housing complaint with the Wisconsin Equal Rights Division?
- One year from the date of the alleged discriminatory act (Correct answer)
- Six months from the date of the alleged discriminatory act
- Two years from the date of the alleged discriminatory act
- 90 days from the date of the alleged discriminatory act
Correct answer: One year from the date of the alleged discriminatory act
In Wisconsin, a complainant has one year from the date of the alleged discriminatory act to file a fair housing complaint with the Equal Rights Division.
Question 6: A Wisconsin real estate broker discovers that a listing agent in the office has been making discriminatory statements in property advertisements. What is the broker's ethical and legal obligation?
- Immediately stop the advertising and take corrective disciplinary action (Correct answer)
- Ignore it since individual agents are responsible for their own conduct
- Wait to see if a formal complaint is filed before acting
- Simply remove the specific advertisement without further action
Correct answer: Immediately stop the advertising and take corrective disciplinary action
Brokers have supervisory responsibility under Wisconsin law and must immediately address discriminatory practices by agents under their supervision.
Wisconsin Real Estate License Wisconsin Real Estate License Fair Housing and Ethics Questions and Answers 2
Under Wisconsin law, which of the following is considered a protected class in addition to the federal Fair Housing Act's protections?