Single Mom Shakes $19,500 Settlement Out Of Landlord Who Allegedly Twice Denied Her Opportunity To See Rental Apartment Because She Had Twin 4-Year Old Kids; Suspecting Discrimination, Victim Had Her Cousin Act As 'Tester' In Effort To Bag Accused Culprit

In New Britain, Connecticut, the New Britain Herald reports:

• A city-based landlord, a property management company and a property manager agreed to pay $19,500 and advertise differently after a woman looking to rent an apartment filed a complaint with federal housing officials claiming she was discriminated against because she had children, officials with the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development said.
  
  The single mother of twin 4-year-old boys filed a complaint under HUD’s Fair Housing Initiatives Program after she was twice denied the opportunity to see a two-bedroom unit at Greenview Apartments at 123 Green St. last year. The woman’s identity was not revealed in HUD documents.
  
  The property is owned by Green New Britain, LLC, and managed by PBJ Management. The two companies and the on-site property manager Philip Mahler were named in the complaint. Attorney Charles Ryan who represented the landlords declined comment.
  
  In her complaint, the woman said that after learning she had children, Mahler told her she couldn’t look at the apartment for rent because it needed work and he would call her when it was ready, federal officials said.
  
  He never called back, the woman said. When the woman’s mother called Mahler to inquire about the unit again stating her daughter had two children, she was told that his wife was on vacation for two weeks and he needed to consult with her.
  
  The family had a cousin call Mahler the next day, the complaint stated. When the cousin told Mahler that the apartment was for herself and her husband, he allegedly agreed to show them the unit the next day, federal documents showed.
  
  Green New Britain, LLC; PBJ Management and Mahler agreed to settle the complaint [] before HUD began their investigation. According to the terms of the agreement the companies agreed to pay the woman $19,500 and change their advertising practices to include that the building is child-friendly.

Source: 3 entities agree to settle suit after discrimination claim.

For the HUD press release, see Connecticut Landlords Agree To Settle Fair Housing Complaint Alleging They Discriminated Against Families With Children.

Editor's Note: The Connecticut Fair Housing Center, which provides investigative and legal services to Connecticut residents who believe they have been the victims of housing discrimination, represented the tenant in her HUD complaint.