Protected classes and renting to medical students

[Marcin G.]

We rent our house to students because it is close to college and a hospital. Students are not a protected class, so I want to confirm if we can accept the rental application only from medical students here in New Jersey.

Does anyone see any problems with such approach?

[Anna Sagatelova]

@Marcin G. I agree with @Brendan Lawrence that you are flipping the logic on protected classes. Students are not a protected class so you can discriminate AGAINST students. But by saying "students only" you are discriminating against other classes, including familial status.

I don't agree that it would be fine to advertise "great location for students" because you should always avoid advertising TO a specific demographic, as that is implicitly saying "if you're not a student, this is not a great location for you". However, you can absolutely state proximity to businesses, such as restaurants, schools, employers, etc. Make the listing/ad about the rental itself and its physical location, not the "who" of the place.