Fair Housing Act and Students

[Wesley Pittman]

Hello BP!

I'm looking to build a student-housing niche portfolio in Reno, Nevada. My wife and I just acquired our first duplex a few months ago. It's currently occupied by undergraduate students but we would likely to specifically pursue graduate students in the future for our property. I understand that the Fair Housing Act only limits landlord discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or handicap. Wouldn't "educational status" - i.e. whether or not you’re in school be a perfectly valid reason to refuse someone housing based on the law? 

Our location is "A+" so we shouldn't have any issue finding potential tenants. Thus I'd like to be a little choosey and market directly to graduate students exclusively since I think it's likely they will be more responsible tenants. I was wondering if that would be considered illegal. By my reading of the law's guidance, no, it wouldn't, but I'm not sure if there's case law or other things I'm unaware of that may make my interpretation wrong. I ask because some folks have stated that you cannot create advertisements specifically requesting only a certain class of tenant apply (i.e. students). If it's legal I would like to only target graduate students by sending emails to them over the university's graduate listservs.

Thanks!