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October 10, 2025 - The CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® is reminding rental housing providers that California law prohibits rental housing providers from discriminating against prospective tenants based on their source of income — including those who use housing subsidies such as Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, down payment assistance or security deposit assistance. Acceptance of Section 8 vouchers is mandatory.

The law prohibits discrimination based on “source of income” to protect people using any federal, state, or local housing subsidy to pay their rent.

Under the state’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and Government Code Section 12955, landlords must treat applicants with vouchers the same as any other applicant. This means you cannot deny, discourage, or impose different terms or conditions on someone simply because they use a rental assistance program to help pay rent.

Accepting housing vouchers and other assistance programs is not only a legal obligation — it also expands your pool of qualified tenants and helps support community housing stability.

See this Q&A created by the Civil Rights Department, which enforces this law. Prohibited activities are detailed in Question 5.

Source: CAR