New Rochelle real estate firm reaches $40,000 settlement in housing discrimination case
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. -- A big name in Westchester County real estate has settled a discrimination case with New York state.
Century 21 Marciano, a prominent New Rochelle firm, denied housing opportunities to low-income renters, Attorney General Letitia James said.
The firm on North Avenue has the Fair Housing law posted right in the window, but James said the firm violated it by refusing to rent to undercover investigators once they mentioned using a Section 8 voucher to help pay their rent.
"It's a form of discrimination. It's actually a form of profiling that lumps everyone who is low-income into an automatic rejection basket," said Alexander Roberts, a fair housing advocate.
Roberts said undercover testing is an important tool for enforcing the law and that's what happened here.
Workers with a housing rights group posed as prospective tenants inquiring about rental units at four properties listed by Marciano, including a one-bedroom in a multi-family home on Hilltop Avenue.
According to the settlement, when the pretend renter brought up using a Section 8 voucher, the Marciano agent replied, "'Uh, no, I don't think so. It's up to the landlord, he kind of prefers the tenants without the Section 8 voucher. There were two other people with a voucher, he said, 'No.'"
That violates New York law.
In the settlement, Marciano agreed to pay $40,000 and place nine Section 8 tenants in apartments owned by the firm.
"This settlement is really very exciting and amazing," said Roberts. "This settlement is going to create nine units of affordable housing in Westchester County."
Roberts said the case is an important reminder to brokers and agents to live up to the letter of the law posted in the window.
The settlement also requires Century 21 Marciano to waive any broker fees for applicants seeking to use a government housing voucher.