Domestic Violence Victim Gets Settlement in N.H. Housing Discrimination Case

The owners and managers of two New Hampshire communities recently agreed to settle allegations that they engaged in housing discrimination by refusing to rent to a woman who was a victim of domestic violence.

The agreement is the result of two complaints filed by a woman with HUD in December 2013. The first complaint was against her current landlord, who allegedly refused to renew her lease because of police visits responding to her domestic violence-related 911 calls. The second complaint arose when she was searching for another home after her lease was not renewed, alleging that another landlord refused to rent her an apartment based on the previous domestic violence-related police visits.

To resolve both complaints, the landlords agreed to pay $13,550 to the woman and to participate in fair housing training and undergo monitoring by HUD. The owner and manager of the first community also agreed to revise the policies and leases for all HUD-subsidized properties to comply with the Violence Against Women Act and HUD’s regulations providing protection for victims of domestic violence in public and federally funded housing.

“No woman should be denied housing based on her status as a domestic violence survivor,” Gustavo Velasquez, HUD’s assistant secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, said in a statement. “HUD remains committed to ensuring and promoting fair housing opportunities for women and men alike.”

Source: HUD