Housing Suit Alleges Discrimination

An Indianapolis woman has filed a federal compliant alleging housing discrimination. 

When home prices began to soar last year, Carlette Duffy decided to refinance her home on the near northwest side of Indianapolis. She wanted to purchase her grandmother's home. Duffy's home had been renovated, so when two different appraisals came back close to what she had originally purchased the home for Duffy became suspicious.

For a third attempt she took out pictures that identified her as Black and had a white friend meet the appraiser. The appraised value of her home more than doubled from a low of $110,000 to $259,000. 

Duffy said she was elated to receive a fair appraisal -- but then was devasted by what she had gone through. 

"You just know it's not right," Duffy said, "but you still want to believe that people are inherently good and are going to treat you fair, and that you're going to be treated equally."

The Fair Housing Act of 1968 prohibits discrimination based on race. 

Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana Executive Director Amy Nelson helped Duffy file the complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“She had to literally take herself out of her home, remove herself from her home in order to get something that was fair and justified,” Nelson said.

Discriminatory financing practices drive down home values in historically Black neighborhoods.

The housing complaint alleges that the appraisers used unfair comparable sales.

“The appraisal industry is overwhelmingly made up of white males, there needs to be more diversity in the appraisal industry itself,” Nelson said.

The FHCCI is asking other people who feel they’ve been discriminated against to contact them.