The owner of two apartment communities on Long Island has agreed to a settlement to resolve a complaint of alleged income discrimination.
New Jersey-based Renaissance Management Group, which owns the 656-unit Renaissance Hills complex in Hauppauge and the 915-unit Renaissance Bay rental community in East Patchogue, has reaffirmed its commitment to preventing discriminatory housing practices, especially as they relate to applicants who are recipients of alternative lawful sources of income, including housing vouchers and other forms of housing assistance payment.
The agreement with Bohemia-based Long Island Housing Services came after the agency received complaints that the landlord was allegedly discriminating against prospective tenants who wanted to use Section 8 housing vouchers to pay rent, according to an LIHS statement.
An investigation conducted in 2021 by LIHS, found that management at the two apartment communities were requiring income of twice the monthly rent for people with Section 8 vouchers, which is a violation of the state’s source of income law. In addition, management at the rental properties also said they would not accept the housing vouchers as payment.
After discussions between the landlord and LIHS, Renaissance Management conducted a comprehensive training for all of their leasing agents concerning housing discrimination prevention; reviewed and reaffirmed that their policies and practices specifically prohibit lawful source of income discrimination; implemented changes to its website and application materials so that prospective tenants are aware of their commitment to limiting discriminatory housing practices; and agreed to display discrimination preventions posters at each facility.
“Despite source of income discrimination being outlawed in Suffolk County for over a decade, Long Island Housing Services has found that there still is a great deal of work to be done educating housing providers in their duty to accept all lawful forms of income as payment for rent,” Ian Wilder, LIHS executive director, said in the statement.
David Winzelberg
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