Housing advocates hope bigger bonuses will spur NYC brokers to work more with low-income renters

A contingent of New York City landlords and real estate brokers are promising to give low-income renters a fairer shake, as part of the settlement of a federal discrimination lawsuit filed by the advocacy group Housing Rights Initiative (HRI).

Earlier this month, HRI announced a proposed agreement with 23 landlords and real estate brokers, including some of the biggest names in the industry. They were accused in a 2021 lawsuit of routinely turning away apartment applicants who get government help paying their rent, in violation of laws barring such source-of-income discrimination.

Attorney Matthew Handley of the law firm Handley, Farrah and Anderson is representing HRI, whose lawsuit targets 88 landlords and brokers. He spoke with WNYC host Kerry Nolan about the lawsuit and what’s next for the ongoing litigation.

For the full conversation, click "Listen". Read the full story at Gothamist.