From the Hotline

By Teri Henning, General Counsel
Pennsylvania Newspaper Association

Q: Can a housing ad say “Senior Citizen Discount?”

A: No, because it suggests a preference based on age, which is prohibited under the housing provisions of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act.

In contrast, the public accommodations provisions (which prohibit owners and managers of public accommodations from discriminating against individuals based upon race, color, sex, religious creed, ancestry, national origin, handicap or disability) do not include “age” as a protected class. This is why “senior citizen discounts” at restaurants and other public accommodations are lawful. The same is not true for a housing accommodation.

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