New York, NY – Siding with low-income tenants, the City Council voted to enact a new law – over Mayor Bloomberg's veto – to bar rental discrimination against tenants with Section 8 vouchers.
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The 44-to-4 vote by the Council overrode a veto cast by the mayor. The repassed bill will become law in a few days after it is certified and filed with city lawyers.
Known as Intro. 61-A, the measure bars landlords from rejecting prospective tenants based on their "lawful source of income," including having governmental housing subsidies such as Section 8 federal housing assistance.
"Just because a landlord may not like the fact that you use Section 8 or another income program, this bill says they can no longer say, 'No,'" said Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan). "If you have the ability to pay, you have to be rented the apartment."
The bill's chief sponsor, Councilman Bill deBlasio (D-Brooklyn), said the new law will enable aggrieved tenants – or their advocates – to file complaints with the city's Human Rights Commission or in state Supreme Court. [nydailynews]
Why should a landlord accept a risky tenant? Who will pay the bill when the tenant damages the apartment, or just stops paying rent? It’s his house, and he’s the one bearing the risk, so he should have the right to refuse a tenant for any reason that seems right to him; it’s simply none of anyone else’s business.
How about they should FIX the Problems that are causing the Landlords to reject Section 8??
If most Landlords are not accepting it there got to me a VERY GOOD REASON!!!
GET A JOB AND GO TO WORK.YOU WONT NEED SECTION 8.
what about landlords that their bldgs never got section 8? i once inquired about lanldlord accepting my newly approved section 8 but he said his bldgs never got section 8 and isn’t registered with them either. so I had to move to another apt (bigger) to use my section 8 benefit? how does this affect those landlords now or people that do have section 8 ?
And Bill DeBlasio wants to be Borough President.
Will they help the landlords get their raise when it is due to them?