Listen to this articleThe owner and manager of a Baldwin apartment complex has settled a source-of-income discrimination complaint that Long Island Housing Services (LIHS) brought before the New York State Division of Human Rights.
The complaint, lodged against Baldwin Gardens Apartments, Grand Associates Management and two of its employees, alleged that prospective renters with Housing Choice Section 8 vouchers were turned away by the property’s management.
LIHS conducted an investigation of Baldwin Gardens Apartments in 2022, sending testers with Section 8 vouchers to try and rent apartments at the complex. The testers were allegedly told on multiple occasions that Section 8 housing vouchers were not accepted and that they do not participate in programs for Section 8, according to an LIHS statement. Specifically, the testers were told “we don’t participate in programs for Section 8” and that “certain buildings they’ll participate in it, but we’re just not one of the ones that are,” LIHS reported.
New York State, Suffolk County and Nassau County human rights laws prohibit discrimination based on lawful sources of income, including Section 8 vouchers, Supplemental Social Income, Social Security Disability, Nursing Home Transition and Diversion Housing Subsidy, Olmstead Housing Subsidy, Traumatic Brain Injury Medicaid Waiver program or child support, according to LIHS.
The settlement agreement, which included monetary damages of $15,000 to LIHS, also required the respondents to adopt a non-discriminatory fair housing policy, and display compliance with fair housing laws on their rental and lease forms. In addition, the landlord agreed to add source-of-income language to the property’s website, participate in fair housing training and display posters on equal housing opportunity and New York State Division of Human Rights regulations.
“As I have said before, Source of Income protections have been law in New York State for five years, and much longer in county law on Long Island,” Ian Wilder, LIHS executive director, said in the statement. “It is way past time for landlords to know to obey the law. And it is particularly upsetting that they are saying out loud reasons for a denial that are in violation of the law. We need our towns and villages to step up to require fair housing education for landlords similar to those we have for real estate agents and mortgage brokers.”