A complaint filed by New York State Attorney General Letitia James against a New Rochelle-based real estate company has been settled, according to an announcement from James’ office. James had accused Platzner International Group, which owns or manages more than 200 homes, primarily in New Rochelle, Rye and Pelham Manor, of refusing to provide housing to low-income residents. In addition to naming the company, James also named owners Merrick Platzner and Hallin Platzner.
James’ office worked with the Housing Rights Initiative to find that the company violated federal, state, and local laws by refusing to provide housing to low-income residents with Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers. was certified.
Ms. James said that as a result of the settlement with her office, she had reached a separate settlement with Westchester Residential Opportunities, which had filed a lawsuit alleging discriminatory practices.
Under the settlement, the company is required to set aside 20 units in its portfolio for use by people with Section 8 vouchers and other housing subsidies. Additionally, we will not collect brokerage fees from applicants using Section 8 vouchers or other subsidies for the next five years. He must also pay $10,000 to the Housing Rights Initiative and $95,000 to the Westchester Housing Opportunities.
“Every New Yorker, regardless of income, deserves a place to live,” James said. “Denying housing opportunities to low-income New Yorkers just because they have housing vouchers is not only illegal, it exacerbates the affordable housing crisis.”
James’ office said the investigation also found that Platzner asked prospective tenants illegal questions about their rental applications. Investigators found the questions asked about the potential tenants’ gender and marital status, which James said violated the New York Human Rights Law and the federal Fair Housing Act. Additionally, James reported that investigators discovered that the company had claimed on rental applications that the application fee was $50 higher. He said such fees violate New York state law, which states that such fees cannot exceed $20.