TRENTON – Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division on Civil Rights (DCR) today announced that DCR has taken enforcement action in 20 cases alleging violations of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination’s (LAD) prohibition against denying the opportunity to obtain housing because of a prospective tenant’s source of lawful income, such as government rental assistance. In 15 of these cases, DCR issued Findings of Probable Cause alleging discrimination based on source of lawful income. In another five cases, DCR announced that they have finalized consent decrees with property owners, property managers, and real estate brokers, obtaining over $105,000 in relief from those respondents for alleged violations of the LAD.
In the 15 Findings issued today, DCR found probable cause to conclude that 35 respondents across New Jersey – including property owners and property managers, as well as real estate agents and real estate brokerages – violated the LAD by denying individuals seeking rental housing the opportunity to rent based on their receipt of government rental assistance.
Twelve of the Findings of Probable Cause issued by DCR were the result of complaints filed with DCR by Housing Rights Initiative (HRI), a non-profit housing watchdog group that conducts tests to detect housing discrimination. In these 12 cases, HRI employed testers to reach out to representatives for the properties, disclosing that they would use Section 8 housing vouchers to pay rent. In each case, a real estate agent, property manager, or property owner rejected these testers, telling them that they would not accept prospective tenants with vouchers. HRI’s communications with the representatives of the properties, which were recorded, provide direct evidence of discrimination.