New York Human Rights Law and the Nassau County Human Rights Law forbid landlords from refusing rentals because of a tenant's lawful source of income, including Section 8 vouchers, SSI, SSDI, veterans benefits, or unemployment. Violations carry significant civil penalties.
NY Executive Law section 296(5), amended in 2019, made source-of-income a statewide protected class in housing alongside the Nassau County Human Rights Law. Landlords cannot refuse to consider housing-choice vouchers, advertise no programs, set higher income or credit thresholds for voucher holders, or refuse to participate in the Housing Authority inspection process for properties with at least four units. Nassau County CHRO and NY State Division of Human Rights both accept complaints. Testers from fair-housing groups including ERASE Racism and Long Island Housing Services regularly document violations.
Findings of source-of-income discrimination produce civil penalties up to $50,000 for first offenses and $100,000 for willful repeats, mandatory rental at the offered terms, and recovery of attorney fees and emotional-distress damages.
Nassau County, NY
Nassau County landlords must accept Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers as a lawful source of income under New York Human Rights Law. The Nassau County Office ...
Nassau County, NY
New York Real Property Law section 235 prohibits landlord harassment of Nassau tenants through threats, repeated unwanted contact, utility shutoffs, frivolou...
See how Nassau County's source-of-income discrimination rules stack up against other locations.
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