Generally, a landlord cannot refuse to accept a housing voucher. If the voucher has been presented to multiple places and denied at each; the issuing office where the voucher was obtained should be contacted to explore other possibilities. There are some exceptions in considering taking a housing voucher; the law affords more discretion and exclusion rights to landlords who rent domiciles in which the landlord themselves are living, the number of units may preclude a landlord from taking a voucher. Consequently, it may be an affirmative defense to a claim of housing discrimination where the landlord can show that they live in the domicile being rented. There are also laws and statutory protections for religious organizations, which under some circumstances, may have a defense against a claim of discrimination based on the fact that it is a religious organization, therefore it could be entitled to use preferential treatment which might under other circumstances be discriminatory. If the housing is restricted or limited to seniors, there is an available defense to landlords as well. This would allow the landlord to exercise disparate treatment against certain groups or individuals who do not qualify under any imposed restriction such as 55 age limit, etc. To initiate a complaint, please download the intake form (end of the page) available by clicking on the link below. Complete form and mail to: Office of Human Rights, 21 Maryland Avenue, Suite 330, Rockville, MD. 20850. For questions or to be contacted by the Office, complete the service request below by clicking the button. Complete name, address and phone number fields. Scroll to bottom of page and enter a brief description of request.