New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has launched a new initiative, called the Fair Housing Enforcement Program, aimed at targeting discrimination in rental and home sale transactions.
The program will utilize trained fair housing "testers," who will go in undercover as potential renters or homebuyers and check for discrimination on the part of the sellers and landlords, according to a press release Sunday.
The enforcement program will bring together state officials from the Division of Homes and Community Renewal and three fair-housing agencies from across New York State, Housing Opportunities Made Equal in Buffalo, CNY Fair Housing in Syracuse and Westchester Residential Opportunities in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties.
The testers will work in teams to assess the real estate agents, sellers and landlords in question, and their treatment will be documented and analyzed. The testers will present the investigated parties with similar incomes and career profiles.
If a party is suspected of discriminatory bias, the state will then investigate further and prosecute when necessary, in accordance with the federal Fair Housing Act and New York's Human Rights Law.
"Denying access to housing, whether it is through discrimination or harassment driven by greed, is unconscionable and illegal," HCR Commissioner James Rubin said in the release. "HCR, through this new Fair Housing Enforcement Program and the ongoing activities of the governor's Tenant Protection Unit, is moving proactively to uphold the law. To make it crystal clear: discriminatory practices are always abhorrent and will be investigated and prosecuted."
Cuomo also announced that he has asked the Division of Human Rights and the Department of State to propose new regulations that would bolster housing enforcement efforts.
The proposed regulations from the Division of Human Rights seek to clarify that it is illegal to discriminate against an individual because of their relationship or association with someone from a protected class.
The new regulations would apply to all areas protected by the state's Human Rights Law and not just housing. For instance, a landlord could not evict a tenant because of the race, creed, national origin or sexual orientation of a friend that visits the apartment.
Additionally, the Department of State will promote regulations that would remove or revoke the license of a real estate broker or salesperson who has been convicted by a city, state or federal agency or court of competent jurisdiction of engaging in discriminatory conduct.
The governor's office further released information on settlements in 123 cases filed with the state alleging housing discrimination in 2015. The information from these cases was used to inform Cuomo's announced efforts in this area, his office said in the release.
Of the 123 cases, 41 involved discrimination complaints based on race, color or national origin. Another 91 complaints from individuals with disabilities and 26 complaints regarding discrimination against families with children and pregnant women were resolved.
