NYC landlords are discriminating against tenants with housing vouchers, new report says
Oct. 18, 2023, 4:47 p.m.
Unlock NYC says 23 landlords and brokerage firms have repeatedly denied or discriminated against residents who receive government assistance for housing.
Several New York City landlords and brokers are routinely barring tenants from renting apartments if they rely on government assistance to help pay for it, a new report by housing advocates alleges.
Unlock NYC, a tech nonprofit focused on housing, released a list of so-called “serial discriminators,” on Wednesday, naming and shaming 23 corporate owners and real estate companies that the group says have allegedly discriminated against tenants with government subsidies more than 10 times since 2018.
“We are in the throes of a devastating homelessness crisis,” Manon Vergerio, an advocate with Unlock NYC, said at City Hall Park during a press conference. “We need to aggressively tackle the barriers that are standing in the way between New Yorkers and stable homes.”
Under city and state law, it’s illegal for landlords to discriminate against tenants based on their source of income, including if they’re using vouchers to subsidize their monthly rent.
The city’s Commission on Human Rights is charged with enforcing the law but advocates say they want the city to bolster enforcement measures to disincentivize landlords from discriminating against voucher-holding tenants.
The Commission on Human Rights didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
“We want to see astronomical fines, more apartment units set aside for voucher holders as a form of repair, and broker licenses revoked,” Manon said.
On Wednesday, 28-year-old Kamilah Newton said she had to call hundreds of brokers over five years while at times living in a shelter before she could finally secure an apartment for herself and her two children.
“It turns out nobody wants vouchers, as one bold broker put it,” she said.
The report lists Goldfarb Properties, Chestnut Holdings, Parkchester, and the Parkoff Organization as the worst landlord offenders – none of whom immediately responded to requests for comment – as well as 19 brokerage firms.
“If we open up access to folks living in conditions that are stable, that's how we keep our communities safe,” said Councilmember Pierina Sanchez.
She said the denial of housing to tenants with vouchers is “so pervasive in our communities that folks actually don't even know that they're being discriminated against at that door or when they get ghosted or when they face these challenges.”
The report uses a crowdsourced database from more than 500 residents who reported being discriminated against. The report also said that while some landlords explicitly deny tenants, others set minimum income or credit requirements, tack on arbitrary fees, don’t show up to viewings or never respond after a tenant mentions their voucher.
Advocates said they are also working to get the City Council to introduce a package of bills that would increase fines for landlords who violate the law and restrict credit checks for voucher tenants.
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