Many landlords are hesitant, if not scared, to rent to tenants whom they know or suspect have HIV or AIDS. They fear that doing so would put other tenants at high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, and that they could face liability for any harm their tenants suffer.
But the Fair Housing Act (FHA), through its ban on disability-based discrimination, protects people with HIV/AIDS from being treated differently during the rental process, which means landlords can actually get into trouble if they refuse to rent to tenants simply because they have HIV/AIDS.
It's also important to be aware of the fact that HIV/AIDS isn't spread by casual contact or even through the air, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So, landlords (and other tenants) needn't fear an AIDS epidemic at their property.
I recently put together a set of dos and don'ts to avoid violating the FHA when it comes to renting to tenants with HIV or AIDS. Check them out in my article for Nolo.com, entitled "Dealing With Rental Applicants Who Have HIV/AIDS."
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