Compass has settled a claim of housing discrimination centered on one of its Long Island agents.
Karen Elefante, who works out of Rockville Centre in Nassau County, and Compass agreed to pay Long Island Housing Services $27,500 as part of the settlement, Newsday reported. Compass also agreed to policy changes.
The fair housing agency alleged that in 2021, Elefante told multiple fair housing testers that prospective tenants needed an income of at least $100,000 and a minimum credit score of 700 to rent from the landlord she represented.
When the testers informed Elefante that they could pay the rent through Section 8 housing vouchers and the Making Moves program, the agent responded that the income and credit requirements still applied, according to the complaint.
Ian Wilder, executive director of the LIHS, said these actions violated housing laws aimed at curbing tenant discrimination due to income. Wilder told Newsday that income requirements become even less necessary for voucher holders, as the tenants have already been vetted by the government.
“We are committed to providing equal and respectful service to every client, regardless of income source,” a Compass spokesperson said in a statement.
Elefante did not return the outlet’s request for comment.
LIHS is a nonprofit that investigates tenant complaints. It has become synonymous with going after landlords and housing providers and reaching settlements, such as a $105,000 agreement last year with a landlord in Suffolk County.
In 2022, Compass settled a discrimination case brought by another nonprofit, Housing Rights Initiative. As part of that settlement, the brokerage promised bigger commissions to agents working on Section 8 leases.
Later that year, Compass agreed to a slap on the wrist from New York Attorney General Letitia James. It said it would waive brokers’ fees for the first 25 applicants who signed leases using Section 8 vouchers and educate agents about vouchers.
— Holden Walter-Warner
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