Owner does not want to rent to roommates

[Aimee Hamza]

Hello all! I'm a Realtor in Austin, TX and have had this come up a few times over the years. I'm wondering if it is legal for me (as the lease listing agent) to refuse applicants just because they are roommates. Would this be considered discriminatory? Are they a protected class? Thanks so much in advance.

[Jonathan Greene]

Roommates are not a protected class, but you have to be careful that your seller is not using "roommates" to discriminate against protected classes. What's the rationale on no roommates? You have to see if the applicants would qualify as a protected class and then decide if "roommates" is a sham way around that. But if it's just someone who only wants to rent to one person and not two, that is legal even if it doesn't make sense.