Prospects and applicants may want to know about the race, ethnicity, or familial status of the residents at your site. But questions about the presence or number of people protected against illegal discrimination at your site are inappropriate. Answering these questions violates the Fair Housing Act even if you weren’t the one to raise the subject.

Even if the prospect asking the question has the protected characteristic he’s talking about, you or your staff members aren’t allowed to answer inappropriate questions. For instance, if a Muslim prospect asks you whether other Muslims live at your site, you shouldn’t respond. The fact that the prospect asking the question is also Muslim doesn’t make the question appropriate.

How should you respond to prospects’ inappropriate questions? You should come up with standard responses to all inappropriate questions. For instance, you could say, “Our site policy and fair housing law don’t permit me to answer that question.” Another response might be, “We’re complying with the law.” You should be polite but firm when responding to such questions.