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A Long Island residential real estate brokerage firm and one of its sales agents has settled a housing discrimination complaint with Long Island Housing Services (LIHS).
Compass Greater NY LLC and Karen Elefante, an agent in its Rockville Centre office, agreed to pay $27,500 to LIHS, as well as adopt a non-discriminatory fair housing policy and participate in fair housing training as part of the settlement, according to an LIHS statement.
An investigation by LIHS in 2021, found that apartment-seeking testers with Housing Choice Section 8 vouchers who posed as participants of the Making Moves program were told by the Compass agent that they would have to meet several criteria, including a credit score of 700 and a minimum yearly income of $100,000 to $120,000. However, income and credit score requirements for voucher holders are unnecessary, since vouchers cover most of the rent, there is no need to use income and/or credit score criteria to assess whether tenants can pay.
During the LIHS investigation, Elefante allegedly told a tester that “your credit, regardless of your voucher, has to be over 700 and you have to work and have an income.”When another tester another testerexplained to Elefante that a voucher is a guaranteed rental payment, the agent, responding on behalf of the landlord, allegedly answered that “she doesn’t care about any of that; nobody cares,” according to the LIHS statement.
Elefante has not responded to a request for comment.
Real estate agents are accountable for their words and actions, regardless of the unlawful instructions from their client, according to fair housing laws. Agents still violate the law even if they claim to be following unlawful instructions from their clients.
“Real estate agents cannot excuse unlawful practices by claiming they are following client orders,” LIHS Executive Director Ian Wilder said in the statement. “New York State mandates fair housing training to retain their license, so they must understand when requests are illegal. Furthermore, the Long Island Board of Realtors (LIBOR) provides guidance on source of income discrimination, including a public website explaining these laws. Despite this support, the market still fails to allow renters to access high-opportunity areas.”
Coincidently, April is designated as National Fair Housing Month, and LIBOR recently hosted a Fair Housing Conference in collaboration with the Long Island Housing Partnership at the Heritage Club at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale. The event brought together more than 160 members for discussions on the importance of treating all clients equitably and ethically, according to a LIBOR statement. The conference featured a training session addressing fair housing laws and policy issues at the federal, state, and local levels—including civil rights protections and bias prevention strategies.
“Fair housing is essential to maintaining the integrity of our profession, earning consumer trust, and supporting the long-term health of our communities,” LIBOR CEO Doreen Spagnuolo said in the statement. “Our mission is grounded in ethical practice, inclusivity, and strong consumer protections. We empower our members with tools and training to champion fair housing every day—from required continuing education and in-depth bias awareness programs to legal guidance and unwavering advocacy at every level of government.”
