The Fair Housing Act prohibits treating people unequally in housing because of the country they are from.  National origin discrimination includes discrimination based on language, culture, ethnicity, and ancestry.  Ancestry is explicitly prohibited under Massachusetts state law as well.  Ancestry discrimination is different from national origin discrimination in that it protects someone whose parents or other ancestors are from another country even when they were born in the United States.

Refusal to Rent.  Refusal to rent is a common form of housing discrimination.  A housing provider cannot refuse to rent an apartment because the applicant does not speak English or has an accent.  Similarly, a housing provider cannot ask an applicant or tenant about immigration status or citizenship because of how the person looks or talks.  While asking some questions have a legitimate purpose, the housing provider must ask those same questions of everyone.

Threats and Coercion.  The Fair Housing Act protects everyone regardless of their immigration status.  Housing providers cannot charge more rent, refuse to repair bad conditions or threaten to turn in a tenant to for being undocumented.

The following resources provide additional information on fair housing and immigrants, with some links specifically addressing credit checks and limited English proficiency: