Sources, levels and test results

The four levels

X · Explicit. Wording that states a preference or limit, like "adults only" or "perfect for a single woman". The clearest kind of problem.

P · Proxy risk. Wording that could signal who should live there, like "perfect for a growing family", "quiet neighborhood" or "near St. Mary's Church". Context decides. The legal test is whether an ordinary reader could take it as a preference or limit.

V · Verify. Claims you would have to back up: "top-rated schools", "safe neighborhood", "minutes from downtown".

G · Style or generic. Not a legal problem. MLS style ("master suite") and phrases so common they tell a buyer nothing ("stunning", "nestled").

The fill-in draft

The tool cuts each flagged phrase and leaves a box where a fact belongs, like bedrooms or subdivision name. You type the real detail into the box and copy the finished text. It never invents a fact. Sentences that are only pressure ("Don't miss this!") are dropped whole.

Sources

1. Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. § 3604(c) (Law)
2. HUD rule 24 CFR § 100.75 (Law)
3. HUD staff memo of 9 January 1995, summarised by Oregon REALTORS (Guidance)
4. Georgia REALTORS, "Advertising and Fair Housing" (2021) (Guidance)
5. NAR FAQ on steering, crime and schools (HUD letter of 24 April 2026) (Guidance)
6. NAR Code of Ethics, Article 12 (Guidance)

Not cited: 24 CFR Part 109, HUD's old advertising guidelines, was removed effective 1 May 1996 (Federal Register, 1 April 1996). Archived copies still circulate but are not binding.

Test results

Internal test, 20 October 2026, on word list v2.0: 50 short listings, 25 with a known problem and 25 clean ones full of phrases that look risky but are fine.

Read this before you trust the number. The author wrote and scored these listings, and the word list was adjusted using them. An independent test, written and scored by a Fair Housing professional, would be fairer. That is the next step.

The four phrases it missed were "retired couple", "bachelor pad", "Islamic Center" and "Italian neighborhood". They were added afterwards, in v2.1. The score above is from before, because re-scoring on the same listings would prove nothing.

The full 50 listings and results are on the full tool page, under "See all 50 test listings and results".

What it can't catch

• Photos, and the people in them. HUD's rule covers images too.
• Where an ad runs, or who it is targeted at.
• Phrases not on the list.
• State and local law. Federal only for now.
• Lawful exceptions, such as legally age-restricted 55+ or 62+ housing.

Changelog

• v2.1, 20 October 2026. Sources split into Law, Guidance and Industry training. Four test misses added. No outside fonts or requests.
• v2.0, 20 October 2026. Four levels, fill-in draft, source on every flag, "Fine here" button, published internal test. Fixed false alarms on "single-family home", "single-level" and "Church Street".