Ms Le said she was ''flabbergasted and disgusted'' by the actions of one landlord who last week said she would not accept a rental application by an established migrant family of five because they might be terrorists.

Ms Le is appealing for help to find a rental home for the family.

She said the woman had advertised a house on a Canberra real estate website and appeared willing to accept the application based on the appearance of some family members but changed her mind when she realised they were migrants.

''When she saw the name the family wrote on the application form, a name which is clearly a Middle Eastern name, she said she wouldn't rent them the home,'' Ms Le said.

''I asked her why and if she was worried they might be terrorists or pose a security risk and the woman said 'They might be'. We couldn't believe it.''

The family - which has been living in Australia for eight years - had wanted to move to Canberra's northside and were prepared to pay three months' rent up front.

A minority of property owners believed migrant tenants were unreliable, Ms Le said. One had referred to migrants as "squatters".

''The response from many of the real estate agents since then has been very good. Other people who I have contacted have got back to me and been very helpful.''

The political debate on immigration and the vilification of migrants has resulted in fear and discrimination, Ms Le said.

''There have been a lot of fear tactics and even lately the attack on 457 [skilled migration] visas has been extraordinary.

''You have people out there questioning anyone who looks like they might be on some kind of a visa and they say they don't want to get in trouble with the Immigration Department.''

Ms Le said she welcomed recent efforts by the ACT Human Rights Commission to increase awareness among real estate agents and private landlords. A meeting on housing availability for migrants and refugees will be held in Canberra on Thursday, she said.

Community housing organisation ACT Shelter included discrimination issues in its 2012-14 policy statement, arguing that language barriers and limited access to housing support could be better addressed through cultural awareness and training.

The organisation also called for a housing strategy to address the particular needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents in the ACT.