New Haven Landlord, Real Estate Brokerage, Agent Deny Discrimination Allegation By Prospective Tenant Holding Section 8 Housing Subsidy Voucher, But Agree To $40K Squeeze To Resolve Complaint

The Connecticut Fair Housing Center recently announced:

• The Connecticut Fair Housing Center, representing Natalie Moore, has settled complaints against a New Haven area landlord, Press Cuozzo Realtors, and one of its real estate sales associates. The complaints, alleging housing discrimination based on the refusal to rent to subsidized tenants, were settled for a total of $40,000.
  
  Ms. Moore, a single mother of two who had wanted to move for many months due the poor conditions in her unit, began searching in earnest for a well-maintained and affordable place to live for her family. In early October, Ms. Moore responded to an advertisement for a single-family, three bedroom detached home in Hamden. The home, located in a quiet residential neighborhood close to shopping and other conveniences, appeared to offer many of the amenities Ms. Moore was hoping to find. Unfortunately, Ms. Moore was told that the property was not up to Section 8 standards and therefore her voucher would not be considered. Press Cuozzo, its associate, and the landlord denied any violation of law.
  
  The Connecticut Fair Housing Center, representing Ms. Moore, brought complaints against the landlord, real estate sales associate, and real estate brokerage firm alleging discrimination against Ms. Moore on the basis of lawful source of income, which is illegal under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64c.
  
  The complaints, filed with Connecticut’s Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities alleged that the landlord illegally maintained a policy against renting to tenants who utilize rental vouchers; that the real estate agent illegally refused to rent to Ms. Moore because of her voucher; and, that the brokerage firm, in addition to illegally refusing to rent to Ms. Moore, also failed to adequately train and supervise its agents to prevent them from refusing to rent to voucher holders.
  
  The three respondents agreed, without admitting liability, to settle the complaints and have each committed themselves to continued compliance with all fair housing laws. Press Cuozzo has stated that upholding fair housing laws is one of its highest priorities and has agreed to undergo fair housing training.
  
  Pamela Heller, staff attorney at the Center and lead counsel on these matters, explained, “Source of income discrimination disproportionately effects some of our most vulnerable citizens, including single mothers, children, and people with disabilities. It can also be a proxy for race and disability discrimination. The prevalence of such discrimination can be disheartening, but we hope that settlements of this nature will help ensure that others are not subject to unfair treatment.”
  

Source: Connecticut Fair Housing Center Secures $40,000 Settlement for New Haven Area Client Denied Housing Opportunity.

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(1) The Connecticut Fair Housing Center is a private, non-profit organization providing various services free of charge to Connecticut residents that deal with fair housing matters, including investigating housing discrimination complaints, providing advocacy and representation; referring victims of housing discrimination to attorneys and researching and giving technical assistance on issues related to fair housing. In addition, the Center has been working to ensure that homeowners in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure receive advice and, possibly, referrals to attorneys who are willing to take their foreclosure cases free of charge.

Persons can call the Fair Housing Center if they have been a victim of housing discrimination for any reason including, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, religion, family status, disability, marital status, age, sexual orientation or lawful source of income. Center staff solicits information from callers on the details of the alleged discrimination and may take the following actions: investigate the complaint, offer advice and counseling about fair housing laws, provide free legal representation or make referrals to legal representatives.