Housing Discrimination Will Not Be Tolerated In Massachusetts (Boston, Cambridge: low income, section 8)

[ClassyBlkGold]

MARTHA COAKLEY
ATTORNEY GENERAL


June 23, 2009 - For immediate release:

Attorney General Martha Coakley Obtains Consent Judgment Against Cambridge Landlord for Discriminating Against Section 8 Recipient
BOSTON – Attorney General Martha Coakley’s Office obtained a consent judgment against Brian Keefe and JBK Associates, LLC, the owners of a two-unit apartment building in Cambridge who were accused of violating state antidiscrimination laws by refusing to rent an apartment to an individual who participates in the Section 8 program.

The judgment, signed June 22, 2009, by Suffolk Superior Court Judge Christopher Muse, requires Keefe and JBK Associates to pay the victim $3,000 and prohibits them from discriminating against any person who seeks or applies for housing because they have a Section 8 voucher or otherwise discriminate against any person in violation of state and federal fair housing laws.

“The Section 8 program provides invaluable assistance to thousands of low income tenants in Massachusetts, assistance that is of particular importance during these tough economic times as we face critical housing needs,” said Attorney General Coakley. “Landlords in Massachusetts should understand that discrimination against prospective tenants who receive public assistance is against the law and will not be tolerated.”

The consent judgment resolves a complaint filed March 16, 2009, alleging that Keefe told the prospective tenant that he did not want to rent to him because he was a Section 8 recipient. Under Massachusetts law, it is illegal to refuse to rent to prospective tenants because they are a participant in the Section 8 housing subsidy program or to avoid any of the requirements of the program.

Yesterday’s judgment also requires Keefe and any JBK Associates employee involved in rental activities to attend training on state and federal fair housing and antidiscrimination laws, to advertise all future rental property as “Equal Housing Opportunity” properties, to maintain a record of rental applicants submitted by prospective tenants, and to report all discrimination complaints to the Attorney General’s Office.
This matter was handled by Assistant Attorney General Adam Hollingsworth of Attorney General Coakley’s Civil Rights Division.
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[DondeDemonios]

Awesome!

[miu]

And that's why I will only seek a tenant by word of mouth through my close friends. I will never rent to a Section 8 tenant. I don't care what the law is. I have a two-family house and I reserve the right to be very picky about who rents my one apartment.

[south-bound]

Originally Posted by miu

And that's why I will only seek a tenant by word of mouth through my close friends. I will never rent to a Section 8 tenant. I don't care what the law is. I have a two-family house and I reserve the right to be very picky about who rents my one apartment.

I know many landlords who have had numerous problems with Section 8 tenants. The voucher covers most of their rent, and yet the tenant often cannot come up with the remaining $50 that they need to pay.

The landlords that I know have complained about how the tenants wreck the property, try to bring pitbulls or even chickens into the unit, sell drugs out of the unit, and are a terrible pain to try to evict.

If I were a landlord, I'd do the word-of-mouth advertizing too. While not all people collecting a Section 8 voucher are bad, it has been my observation that most are just trouble.

[miu]

Instead of forcing landlords into taking Section 8 tenants, make those holding the vouchers fully accountable for their bad tenant behaviour.

If they are bad tenants, then they should be booted out of the program for five years. And it shouldn't be a complicated process for the landlords to report them, and once the tenants are found to be bad tenants, then it should be a fast process to make them leave their apartment. And bad tenants should be held liable for any damages they incur. And they should not be eligible for another Section 8 voucher until they pay for the damages.

Yes, the US economy is bad and times are tough for poor people. However, landlords can't afford to be stuck with bad tenants. I think that too many people think that landlords are rich elitist people, but they have bills and other expenses to pay. Landlords also have to look out for their other tenants' being happy with the quality of their apartment life also. And no one wants to live next to people with drama-filled lives and their issues.

Unfortunately, the majority of people holding Section 8 are not good tenants,. Hence, all the nightmare stories of renting to them wouldn't exist. One never ever hears any stories of good Section 8 tenants. And if the majority of Section 8 voucher holders were good tenants, then you'd have landlords fighting over renting to them.

[massnative71]

No it is not easy being a landlord, and often not profitable either.

Another issue not mentioned is absent landlords who gladly take the section 8 vouchers, collecting rent that is way over market value and in turn have no incentive to maintain/improve their property. This has destroyed entire neighborhoods while pushing out long-term residents who can't afford the rising "non-subsidized" rent.

[gf2020]

This release is from 2 years ago. Why is it being raised now?

[miu]

Looking at the O.P's posting history, their last post was on 07-26-2009, and in a thread they created about Section 8 housing. And that thread got locked. The O.P. is just very pro-Section 8.

This thread might be more appropriate in the Rental Housing section of this forum.

[Dont discriminate]

I am employed full time, I am a single parent, and I qualify for Section 8 because I make under $45,000. I have been looking for apartments for 2 months and cannot find anyone in Newton, MA (where I had been living) to rent me an apartment because I have a section 8 voucher.
I agree with the previous comments that home owners have a right to rent their unit to whoever they wish, however landlords should always obtain, references from previous landlords, employment verification etc. If
the individual who applied for the unit passes these verifications they should be allowed to rent the unit.
I have been advised to look at apartments in the city of Boston since Boston landlords seem to WANT section 8 vouchers (probably for the reasons mentioned above....charge over market rent etc.).
I dont believe I should be forced to live in an area NOT of my choice because I have a section 8 voucher. I am a extremely clean tenant, pay my rent on time, hardworking individual paying taxes, I treat my apartment as it was my own because thats where I am raising my daughter.
Due to the amount of time that has gone by not being able to find an apartment in Newton, MA , I have started looking in the surrounding towns, which has my daughter devasted about going to a different school and having to make new friends.
I advise landlords to continue to review applications and make a decision based on qualifications and not a voucher. A tenant who has a voucher is like a tenant who has a co-signer, section 8 will always have the rent deposited on time and with these economic times will also pay the full amount in any case of a lay-off.

[seamusnh]

"I dont believe I should be forced to live in an area NOT of my choice because I have a section 8 voucher"
As you are getting a form of welfare, you really can't be too picky about where you will live. Newton is a rather high end town in MA. Many people would like to live there but cannot afford it.