Westchester County administers Housing Choice Vouchers through its Section 8 office, and NY law forbids landlords from refusing to participate in the voucher program, charging unauthorized fees, or denying applicants based on voucher status.
The Westchester County Department of Planning Section 8 office issues Housing Choice Vouchers, with about 5,000 active vouchers across the county. Under NY Executive Law Section 296(5), refusal to accept vouchers is unlawful source-of-income discrimination. Landlords participating in Section 8 must pass an initial Housing Quality Standards inspection and annual reinspections. The voucher pays a portion of rent directly to the landlord; the tenant pays the difference up to 30 to 40 percent of household income. Westchester landlords cannot charge application fees beyond the federal $20 cap.
Refusing vouchers, charging unauthorized fees, or failing HQS inspections triggers loss of voucher payments and human-rights penalties up to $50,000.
Westchester County, NY
Westchester County does not maintain a countywide rental registry. Many Westchester municipalities (Yonkers, Mount Vernon, Greenburgh, Port Chester, Peekskil...
Westchester County, NY
New York Executive Law Section 296(5), the State Human Rights Law, prohibits Westchester landlords from refusing to rent to applicants based on lawful source...
See how Westchester County's section 8 voucher acceptance rules stack up against other locations.
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