NYC Fair Housing It's The Law

Since 2008, at least a minimum of 3 hours of mandatory fair housing and anti-discrimination content must be part of the 22.5 hours of continuing education criteria for renewal of a New York State real estate license. Unfortunately, no Fair Housing education or training is required to serve on a NYC coop board.

Questions that were once routinely asked by brokers and coop boards are no longer acceptable.

Fair Housing means that you have the right to live wherever you choose and be treated according to the same rules as everyone else. Fair Housing laws promote equal opportunity and prohibit discriminatory practices that can unfairly limit the housing choices of numerous groups.

Fair Housing protects individuals from housing discrimination based on the protected classes under the NYC Human Rights Law:

• Age
• Alienage or citizenship status
• Color
• Creed/religion
• Disability
• Family status
• Gender / Gender identity/expression
• Lawful occupation
• Lawful source of income
• Marital status
• National origin
• Partnership status
• Race
• Sexual orientation

Discrimination is prohibited in Board admissions procedures under the following laws: 

The Federal Fair Housing Act The Civil Rights Act The New York State and New York City Human Rights Laws.

The New York City Human Rights Law provides that it is unlawful to refuse to sell, rent, lease, approve the sale, rental or lease or otherwise deny a housing accommodation based on actual or perceived race, creed, color, national origin, gender (including gender identity), age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, partnership status, lawful occupation, lawful source of income, alienage or citizenship status or because children are, may be, or would be residing in the accommodation. Where a housing accommodation or an interest is sought or occupied exclusively for residential purposes, the provisions shall be construed to prohibit discrimination in the sale, rental, or leasing of such housing accommodation or interest on account of a person’s occupation. 

Complaints may be filed within one year of an unlawful discriminatory act at the Law Enforcement Bureau of the City’s Commission on Human Rights. 

Our Fair Housing Policy