LIVERPOOL — As a suit against the owners of several senior housing properties winds its way through federal court, CNY Fair Housing has filed two more complaints against two local housing providers. The suits, filed June 14 in state court, allege that Norstar Apartments in Liverpool and Rugby Square Apartments in Syracuse discriminate against prospective tenants who have housing choice vouchers (HCV, also known as Section 8) or receive other forms of rental assistance.
Sally Santangelo, executive director of CNY Fair Housing, said New York State added source of income to the protections in its housing discrimination law in 2019. While “outright refusal to rent to people with assistance” can happen, some housing providers try to skirt the law in more subtle ways.
“What we’re seeing even more of lately is housing providers are creating requirements … that make it difficult if not impossible to rent,” Santangelo said.
The owners and managers of Norstar Apartments, Santangelo said, require tenants to have a monthly income worth three times their rent, but sources of income such as housing choice vouchers or other rental subsidies are not taken into consideration.
“They could actually pay the rent. Those tenants have already been income-qualified by the program and the rents are within the standard payments,” Santangelo said.
Income requirements and other discriminatory policies “really limit people’s choice in where they want to live and where they can live,” Santangelo said.
“We want to make sure people have options to live in the best place they can. We’re hopeful this will help end similar discriminatory practices at other properties,” she said.
CNY Fair Housing expects to see more housing complaints in the coming months as COVID-era rent relief and eviction moratoriums expire.
“It can be difficult when you have income that’s temporary,” Santangelo said. “If there’s one thing we’ve learned from COVID it’s that employment itself is not guaranteed.”
In addition, housing prices in Upstate New York are rising rapidly because demand is going up, Santangelo said.
“As people are able to work remotely, they’re leaving bigger cities and moving to places like Upstate New York. They’re looking for places that offer more space,” she said. “Student loan payments being on hold has allowed more people to enter the housing market. … People are spending more time at home over the last year so their needs have increased in terms of the amount of space they need and the amount of housing.”
Some housing providers are opposed to renting to people who receive assistance because of the perceived reputation of Section 8 tenants and the burden of paperwork and housing inspections.
“There’s sometimes claims about not wanting to deal with the bureaucracy or the red tape of the program,” Santangelo said.
Lori Eastman, a manager for Norstar Apartments, told the Star-Review the complex is under new ownership.
“We have no knowledge of any complaints,” she said when asked about the lawsuit.
Santangelo identified a few “red flags” that prospective tenants should look out for when seeking housing. A discriminatory housing provider might seem willing to rent out a unit initially, but might change their tune once they learn more about a tenant.
Potential renters should tread with caution “if the story changes after they’ve identified if they have assistance or, for that matter, any protected characteristic” such as disability, race, family status (for instance, a single parent or a family with multiple children), Santangelo said.
Unscrupulous landlords might be reluctant to let a prospective renter visit the property, unwilling to provide definite responses to questions about availability, or not forthcoming about the application process.
If you suspect you are a victim of housing discrimination, contact CNY Fair Housing at 315-471-0420 or [email protected].
