You may complain to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD is responsible for all government-subsidized housing, whether it be “Section 8,” public housing, or privately owned housing. Landlords are required to deal fairly with tenants and provide safe and decent housing. To report a bad landlord, call toll-free at 1 (800) 685-8470/ TTY 1 (800) 432-2209. Or, you may call the Charleston HUD office at 1 (304) 347-7000.
You can also file a complaint with HUD if you believe you have been denied government-subsidized housing based on age or disability. To report housing discrimination, you may fill out a complaint form online; call toll-free, 1 (800) 669-9777; or write a letter. In the letter be sure to include all of the following:
•your name and address;
•the name and address of the person your complaint is about;
•the address of the house or apartment you were trying to rent or buy;
•the date when this incident occurred; and
•a short description of what happened.
Mail the letter to either the regional office or the local field office :
Philadelphia Regional Office of FHEO
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
The Wanamaker Building
100 Penn Square East, 12th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19107-3380
OR
Charleston Field Office of FHEO
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
405 Capitol Street, Ste. 708
Charleston, WV 25301-1795
See also our publication Tenants & Landlords: Rights and Responsibilities
For more information, see: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Homes and Communities, Housing Discrimination, http://www.portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=topics/housing_discrimination (last visited June 12, 2015).