A housing watchdog group filed five housing discrimination complaints in Syracuse as part of a larger statewide action targeting real estate professionals. The Housing Rights Initiative said the complaints involved landlords and brokers who refused to rent to low-income families using Housing Choice Vouchers, also known as Section 8.
The five local cases occurred between fall 2024 and February 2025. In total, the group submitted 51 complaints to the New York State Division of Human Rights, naming 103 real estate agents, landlords, and brokerages across the state—including Keller Williams and RE/MAX.
The group said its undercover investigation revealed widespread violations of New York’s Human Rights Law, which prohibits housing discrimination based on lawful source of income.
“Mark my words: this is just the beginning,” said Aaron Carr, founder and executive director of Housing Rights Initiative. “We believe it is critically important to root out this deeply harmful practice in every town, every city, and every county across New York.”
Housing voucher holders are often families, people of color, and people with disabilities. The group said the goal of the filings is to stop illegal denials of housing and ease the state’s affordable housing crisis.
