Fighting Housing Discrimination

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced significant progress in the state’s efforts to combat housing discrimination, highlighting that the New York State Division of Human Rights in 2025 awarded nearly $1 million in financial compensation to individuals who filed housing discrimination complaints with the agency, and made changes to policies and procedures that will curb future discriminatory actions by housing providers and their agents. Since Governor Hochul took office in 2021, the agency’s Housing Investigations Unit has more than tripled its annual case resolutions and secured a more than fivefold increase in the amount of total annual financial compensation awarded to victims of housing discrimination.

“My administration is laser focused on keeping New Yorkers safe and making New York more affordable,” Governor Hochul said. “Preventing housing discrimination and other unfair housing practices is crucial to both of those goals. Nobody should be blocked from finding a safe and affordable home because of discrimination or other unfair housing practices, and New York State will continue to stand up for fair housing and combat prejudice in all its forms.”

Governor Hochul also directed landmarks across the state to be illuminated in blue this evening, Tuesday, April 7, to mark Fair Housing Month and celebrate the 58th anniversary of the landmark federal Fair Housing Act, which took effect on April 11, 1968 outlawing discriminatory housing practices and required localities around the country to advance fair housing.

The following landmarks will be illuminated:

• One World Trade Center
• Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge
• Kosciuszko Bridge
• The H. Carl McCall SUNY Building
• State Education Building
• Alfred E. Smith State Office Building
• Empire State Plaza
• State Fairgrounds – Main Gate & Expo Center
• Niagara Falls
• The “Franklin D. Roosevelt” Mid-Hudson Bridge
• Grand Central Terminal – Pershing Square Viaduct
• Albany International Airport Gateway
• MTA LIRR – East End Gateway at Penn Station
• Fairport Lift Bridge over the Erie Canal
• Moynihan Train Hall
• Roosevelt Island Lighthouse

New York State Division of Human Rights Commissioner Denise M. Miranda, Esq. said, “Every New Yorker deserves an equal chance to secure a safe and dignified home. At the Division of Human Rights, we are deeply committed to protecting current or potential tenants and homeowners from discrimination, educating the public about their rights and responsibilities under the Human Rights Law, and holding discriminators accountable. We are grateful to Governor Hochul for her leadership and to HCR for their continued partnership, and I am proud of the work of the Division’s Housing Investigations Unit, Prosecutions Unit, Housing Litigation Unit and Division Initiated Action Unit — all of which play a key role in protecting New Yorkers from housing discrimination.”

New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, “Housing should never be limited by discrimination, but rather characterized by opportunity, choice and equality. Our Office of Fair and Equitable Housing works to ensure that every New Yorker has equal access to renting or buying a home in vibrant neighborhoods. Thank you to Governor Hochul for helping to build communities that support fair housing and economic mobility.”

Today’s announcement demonstrates the continued impact of Governor Hochul’s historic investments in the Division of Human Rights. Since taking office, Governor Hochul has more than doubled the Division’s funding — allowing the Division, under the leadership of Commissioner Denise Miranda, to undertake a series of crucial and ongoing reforms focused on improving operations and making the discrimination reporting process work better for every New Yorker.

Many of these reforms were first implemented within the Division’s Housing Investigations Unit (HIU), and the unit’s recent performance shows that these efforts are working. Since Governor Hochul took office in 2021, the HIU’s annual case closure rate has more than tripled from 333 in 2021 to 1,020 in 2025. Over the same period, the HIU secured more than five times the amount of annual financial compensation for New Yorkers facing housing discrimination, increasing from $172,214 in 2021 to $939,557 in 2025.

New York State Division of Human Rights Associate Deputy Commissioner of Fair Housing Chelsea L. John, Esq. said, “Governor Hochul and the New York State Division of Human Rights have demonstrated their commitment to ensuring New Yorkers have a State agency that seeks true justice in the fight for fair housing. And the people doing the work on the ground reflect this commitment. The Division’s dedicated Housing Investigations Unit, prosecutors and Housing Litigation Unit are engaging in more robust and fair investigations, prosecuting claims of housing discrimination, and working to serve New Yorkers more efficiently while holding bad actors accountable.”

Examples of housing discrimination complaints resolved by the Division last year include:

• A $40,000 settlement in a case involving a nonprofit fair housing organization that filed a complaint against a brokerage alleging that its agents discriminated against several prospective tenants who planned to pay their rent using rental subsidies. In addition to a $40,000 settlement payment, the respondent in this case also agreed to provide brokerage services to several of the complainant’s clients to help them search for and secure housing free of charge. The respondent housing provider also agreed to adopt an anti-discrimination policy, complete fair housing training and update their website to reflect acceptance of tenants with all lawful sources of income.
• A settlement in a case involving allegations of disparate treatment and steering of prospective buyers on the basis of race. The respondents paid $8,000 in damages and agreed to update all their advertisements and promotional materials with equal opportunity housing logos, attend fair housing trainings, display the Division’s anti-discrimination poster, adopt an anti-discrimination policy and submit to the Division’s monitoring for one year.
• A $55,000 fine in a housing discrimination case against the owners, managers and agents of a residential building in Jamaica, Queens. The Division filed a complaint after reports that the housing providers posted a sign in their building lobby encouraging people to report others to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement based only on an individual’s national origin. In addition to payment of a $55,000 fine, as part of the case settlement the respondents agreed to display the Division’s fair housing poster in a common area within the building, implement a written fair housing policy, remove questions from their rental policy pertaining to an applicant’s and/or tenant’s national origin and participate in a fair housing training program.
• A fine against a property management company and agents in a case that arose after an individual who uses a wheelchair initially filed a complaint against the respondents alleging that they failed to accommodate individuals living with disabilities. The parties settled this original complaint, but the Division later filed a new complaint alleging that the company failed to demonstrate compliance with the terms of the original settlement agreement. In the new settlement with the Division, the company agreed to pay a $20,000 fine, adopt new policies to protect tenants with disabilities and complete training to prevent future violations.

In addition to these cases, the Division settled a variety of cases that yielded additional relief to complainants, including but not limited to waivers of outstanding maintenance fees and arrears; parking spaces to accommodate a disability; installation of a ramp for an individual who used a wheelchair; new apartments, apartment transfers or lease renewals; rent credits; and the ability to break leases early without penalty.

Filing a complaint with the Division does not guarantee a financial award or other remedy. All complaints are investigated based on their individual circumstances and remedies are secured through the agency’s complaint process.

Fair Housing Month Conference

As part of Fair Housing Month, the Division of Human Rights will host a fair housing conference, “Opening Doors & Unlocking Opportunities,” on Tuesday, April 28, at Fordham University in the Bronx. This full day conference will convene professionals working in housing, law, academia, real estate and government to learn about and address current challenges affecting fair housing throughout New York State. The program will feature panel discussions, workshops and opportunities for networking and collaboration. In-person spots are limited and virtual attendance is offered. Interested parties can learn more and register to attend by visiting the conference’s webpage.

A Record of Fighting for Fair and Affordable Housing

Since taking office, Governor Hochul has consistently fought not only to make housing more affordable for all New Yorkers, but also to strengthen fair housing laws and policies in every corner of the state.

Since FY23, the Governor has worked to increase housing supply through targeted investments, launched a $25 billion comprehensive Housing Plan, and implemented new protections for renters and homeowners. The FY27 Executive Budget completes the Governor’s current five-year, $25 billion Housing Plan to create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes statewide. More than 80,000 affordable homes have been created or preserved to date. The Executive Budget also invests $250 million to accelerate affordable housing construction to speed up the building of thousands more affordable homes.

Since taking office, Governor Hochul has also enacted important fair housing legislation to codify disparate impact protections; prohibit appraisal discrimination; increase penalties for unlawful housing discrimination; create a fund to support fair housing testing; and expand required trainings for real estate professionals.

About the New York State Division of Human Rights

The New York State Division of Human Rights is the state agency that enforces the New York State Human Rights Law, the country’s oldest state-level anti-discrimination law, and one of the most comprehensive sets of civil rights protections in the nation.

Anyone who believes they have experienced discrimination can report it to the Division by calling (844) 697-3471 or visiting dhr.ny.gov. All Division proceedings are conducted free of charge.

For more information about the New York State Human Rights Law or to report discrimination, please visit dhr.ny.gov, and follow the Division of Human Rights on social media: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, X, and YouTube.