Under the fair housing act, discrimination of tenants or buyers on the basis of discriminatory reasons is unlawful. This type of discrimination, called housing discrimination, occurs between a housing provider and the buyer/tenant. Although housing providers have a right to screen tenants, they must respect the buyer/tenant's right to housing without discrimination. Generally speaking, fair housing act discrimination law is in regards to group characteristics - race, color, religion, sex, gender, disability, or medical status. In theory, the law also prohibits other reasons that are irrelevant to the business conducted between the two parties, but that may not always apply. In addition to the nationwide legislation, supporting state-specific laws may specify other laws regarding discrimination. Landlords that are found to be in violation of the Fair Housing Act may be penalized up to the legal limit of 100,000, depending on the extent of the violation.