Fair Housing

Thomas J. Morganelli is a Licensed Real Estate Salesperson in the State of New York (license number 10401403792), affiliated with Long Island Home Properties, LLC. I am committed to the letter and the spirit of fair-housing law. I provide equal professional service to all clients and customers and do not discriminate in the sale, rental, or financing of housing, or in related real-estate services, on the basis of any characteristic protected by federal, New York State, or applicable local law.

The official Equal Housing Opportunity mark appears on this site as a public statement of that commitment.

Federal Fair Housing Act

The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits housing discrimination because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, or familial status. Familial status includes households with children under 18, people who are pregnant, and people who are securing custody of a child.

Official overview: Housing Discrimination Under the Fair Housing Act (HUD).

New York State Human Rights Law

New York law provides additional housing protections. Under New York Executive Law § 296(5) (housing accommodations), it is an unlawful discriminatory practice to refuse to sell, rent, or lease housing, or to discriminate in the terms, conditions, or privileges of a sale, rental, or lease, or to publish a discriminatory advertisement, because of a person’s:

  • race
  • creed
  • color
  • national origin
  • citizenship or immigration status
  • sexual orientation
  • gender identity or expression
  • military status
  • sex
  • age
  • disability
  • marital status
  • status as a victim of domestic violence
  • lawful source of income
  • familial status

That list is taken from the housing provisions of the New York State Human Rights Law, Executive Law § 296(5), as published by the Division of Human Rights. “Creed” is New York’s statutory term and includes religion or the absence of a religious belief. “Lawful source of income” includes, but is not limited to, child support, alimony or spousal maintenance, foster-care subsidies, Social Security benefits, and federal, state, or local public assistance or housing assistance, including Section 8 or other housing vouchers. See also the Division of Human Rights source-of-income page.

Separately, Executive Law § 296(16) makes it an unlawful discriminatory practice, unless specifically required or permitted by statute, to inquire about or act adversely on certain arrest or criminal-accusation records in connection with housing (among other areas). In general terms, that provision covers an arrest or accusation that is not then pending and that was followed by a termination in the person’s favor, an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal, a youthful-offender adjudication, or certain sealed convictions. It is a narrower protection than a blanket “arrest record” ban, and the statutory exceptions should be read in full. The Division of Human Rights also describes arrest-record protections as applying in housing on its Protected Characteristics page and in its Fair Housing pamphlet.

Local laws (for example, a county or New York City human-rights law) may add further protections. Those local rules should be followed where they apply.

The Human Rights Law covers most housing in New York, with limited statutory exceptions (including certain owner-occupied two-family rentals and certain room rentals). Even where a state exception applies, federal or local law may still apply. See the Division of Human Rights page on Protected Places (housing).

How to report housing discrimination

You may report housing discrimination to:

It is unlawful to retaliate against a person for filing a discrimination complaint or opposing discriminatory practices.

Official New York notices

This website links to the official notices and procedures required for New York real-estate licensees:

Those official documents control if anything on this page differs from them.

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