Fair Housing Statement
For three years, a major news publication conducted an under-cover investigation into the practices of Real Estate Agents on Long Island, NY. The mission was to discover if there was any differential treatment of the customer, by the agent, based on the color of one's skin. Would race, in this day and age, actually have a determining influence on the services offered? The results of the investigation sent shock waves throughout the industry.
It's safe to say that despite the shocking nature of the expose, no-one was truly surprised. The Fair Housing Act of 1968, the subsequent amendments in 1988, together with state and local laws, have given us a base-line for which all industry professionals must rise above. The shock, perhaps, is that despite all the legislation enacted and after all the education mandated, such egregious lapses of ethical judgement and blatant disregard for the law, continues to this day.
In response to the expose, NYS legislators have passed package of bills to further combat housing discrimination. Those bills have been signed by the governor and are now law. They aim to address fair housing and accomplish the following:
- establishes the Anti-Discrimination Housing Fund to be used by the Attorney General's Office for fair housing testing
- establishes that all state and local agencies have an obligation to further fair housing
- increases required training for real estate professionals relating to fair housing laws and housing discrimination
- requires standardized intake procedures be used by real estate professionals
- creates a dedicated telephone line for housing discrimination complaints
Rivertown Rose acknowledges the great importance of adhering to these laws. We also pledge to rise above the minimum standard and to provide our customers and clients with the respect every human being deserves, regardless of race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sex (including gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, lawful source of income, lawful occupation, citizenship status, marital status, familial status, partnership status, or vaccination status.
Sincerely,
Yaron Cohen - Rivertown Rose, Inc.
