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HOME recently received
a check for $1,500 from Regency Manor Associates, the managers of a Grand
Island complex that had refused to remove illegal inquires from their
application.
In March of this year,
HOME discovered during the course of a routine investigation that the
Country Glen Apartments was using an application that asked for
applicants’ age and marital status. HOME’s investigator was also asked by
the agent showing the apartment whether she had any children.
These inquiries are in
violation of New York State Law.
HOME staff approached
the complex management, notified them of the violations, and requested
that the application be modified to delete the illegal inquiries. The
management ignored the initial request and multiple attempts to conciliate
the matter. HOME therefore filed a complaint with the New York State
Division of Human Rights (DHR) on the basis of age and marital status.
The complex responded
to the complaint by sending a letter they stated had been mailed earlier
offering to mark the illegal inquiries “optional.” HOME notified them
that this would be unacceptable and the case remained with DHR.
Finally, in October, to
avoid further litigation, the complex agreed to settle the case. Without
admitting any guilt, Regency Manor Associates agreed to reimburse HOME in
the amount of $1,500, comply with the state fair housing laws, display the
equal housing opportunity logotype, undergo fair housing training for the
entire staff, and make compliance with fair housing laws a condition of
employment at Regency Manor Associates.
At Country Glen,
inquiring about age and marital status may have seemed like no big deal
initially, but in the long run, refusing to change that practice has
proved costly. |
