Anti-Discrimation Laws Effecting Rental Properties on Long Island

Anti-Discrimination Laws Effecting Long Island Residential Rentals

Landlord Advocacy: Legalities of the Residential Buy & Hold Business Model on Long Island.

Another question I often get is, do I need to be concerned about anti-discrimination laws? You absolutely do. There’s really not many exceptions to the anti-discrimination laws. Basically, the only exception is an owner occupied two family house. So the house that you live in, if you have a single rental apartment in the home that you reside in, you can discriminate against somebody and tell them, “I don’t want you in here,” for whatever reason. Other than that, you can’t.

The protected classes are race, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, military status, sexual orientation, and gender identity. These are all protected classes in New York and you can’t use that as the basis of denying somebody housing.

Nassau County prohibits you from discriminating based on their source of income. So you can’t ask them, “Well, are you getting DSS or SSI?” Can’t do it. It’s off limits.

People that are disabled, you’re required to make reasonable accommodations. So I’m often asked, “What do I got to do to? I got to make my house ADA compliant?” No, you don’t have to do that. But if you’re renting to somebody and they’re disabled and they ask you at their expense to install a wheelchair ramp in the front of your house, you got to let them do it.

So my recommendation is to be aware of all of these anti-discrimination laws and stay clear of violations. If you happen to have some prejudices, just keep them in check. It’s a business and that’s all there is to it.

Above is the full video transcript of following video:

About the Presentation by Mr. James Clark

The above is a clip from a presentation that attorney, Jim Clark made to the East Coast Real Estate Investors Association (“ECREIA”) in March, 2019 entitled: “Landlord Advocacy: The Legalities of the Residential Buy & Hold Model on Long Island.”

Mr. Clark will be leading a follow-up discussion on these topics, and specifically how they’ve changed under the New York Housing Stability & Tenant Protection Act of 2019 at the monthly meeting of ECREIA at 6:30pm on September 25, 2017 at Domenico’s Restaurant at 3270-A Hempstead, Tpke, Levittown, NY 11756. To learn more about ECREIA, click here.

In this clip, Mr. Clark discussed the anti-discrimination laws that Long Island residential landlords need to be aware of.

To view the full presentation, click here.

During this presentation, Mr. Clark discusses solutions to some of the most common legal issues landlords face including:

  • How to hold title to a rental property
  • How do I know if it’s a good rental property?
  • Marketing Strategies For Your Rental Property
  • Applications and Tenant Background Checks
  • Anti-Discrimination Laws Effecting Long Island Residential Rentals
  • What About Lease Agreements
  • How About Security Deposits
  • Collecting Rent
  • What To Do When a Tenant Doesn’t Pay
  • The Landlord Mindset

East Coast Real Estate Investors Association is a member group of National REIA and conducts monthly educational and networking meetings for real estate investors. To learn more about ECREIA go to http://www.eastcoastreia.net.

For more information, or if you need help with a landlord-tenant or eviction matter, please contact us.