The Federal Fair Housing Act, the New York State
Human Rights Law, and local laws, such as the Nassau County and Suffolk County
Human Rights Law, make it illegal to discriminate in the sale, lease, purchase,
rental, or financing of any housing accommodation, or making housing otherwise
unavailable, because of a protected characteristic.
Protected characteristics include: FEDERAL LAW- race,
color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, familial status; NEW YORK
STATE LAW- race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital
status, familial status, sexual orientation, military status, pregnancy,
domestic violence victim status, gender identity or expression, and any lawful
source of income - including Section 8; NASSAU COUNTY LAW- includes in addition to
the Federal and State characteristics – ethnicity; SUFFOLK COUNTY LAW – includes
in addition to the Federal and State characteristics - alienage, citizenship
status, and veteran status.
These Fair Housing Laws also
prohibit the making, printing or publishing of any statement, notice or
advertisement in connection with the sale or rental of housing which expresses or
includes
preference,
limitation, or discrimination based on a protected class.
Newsday just published a three-year study that they have conducted, testing real estate agents on whether all customers were treated equally regarding housing searches. The results were focused more west of us, although some tests were done in the Hamptons, according to the newspaper.
Unfortunately, they found
agents who appear to have “steered” the potential home buyers in a particular
direction, suggesting bias on the agents’ part. It’s sad to see that, such housing
bias still exists.
We wish to state without
reservation, that we take fair housing laws seriously not only because it is
the law but because it is the right thing to do. We believe it is our
responsibility to assist and support, to the best of our ability, everyone who
comes to our door in search of housing.
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