SALISBURY, Md. - A Salisbury-based landlord must pay $100,000 in civil penalties and change its rental practices under a settlement resolving allegations that it discriminated against people using housing vouchers, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown has announced.
Disney Properties LLC owns, operates, or manages approximately 100 rental properties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, according to the Attorney General’s Office. The office’s Civil Rights Division said its investigation found reasonable cause to believe the company refused to rent to applicants using Housing Choice Vouchers, commonly known as Section 8.
Investigators also identified rental application requirements calling for three to four current pay stubs. According to the Attorney General’s Office, those requirements created barriers for applicants who rely on rental assistance, disability benefits, retirement income, or other lawful sources of income.
“Housing vouchers are supposed to help people secure a home, not be the reason they are turned away,” Brown said.
Under the settlement, Disney Properties must accept housing vouchers and other lawful sources of income at all rental properties covered by the agreement. When evaluating income requirements for applicants receiving rental assistance, the company must consider the portion of rent the applicant is responsible for paying, rather than the full rent.
The company must also remove discriminatory application requirements, including unnecessary demands for employment pay stubs and physical Social Security cards when reasonable alternative documentation is available.
Other required changes include revising rental applications, advertisements, websites, and leasing materials, as well as adopting individualized criminal-history assessments and a centralized management review of proposed application denials.
Disney Properties must also waive application fees for up to 100 eligible applicants planning to use housing vouchers or other rental subsidies during the agreement’s supervision period.
The settlement also requires fair housing training for owners and staff, notification of revised policies to current tenants and certain previous applicants, and sharing available rental listings with housing agencies and community organizations serving Eastern Shore renters.
Maryland’s Housing Opportunities Made Equal, or HOME, Act prohibits housing discrimination based on lawful sources of income, including housing vouchers and other rental assistance, according to the Attorney General’s Office. The office said additional state protections took effect Oct. 1, further limiting financial screening criteria used to deny housing to applicants receiving income-based housing subsidies.
The agreement runs for two years. During that time, Disney Properties must maintain records and submit compliance reports to the Civil Rights Division every six months.
Neighbors seeking to report potential civil rights violations can contact the division at 410-576-6300 or toll-free at 888-743-0023.
