About Me

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

FAIR HOUSING


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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