Marin Landlord Agrees To Section 8 Dispute Settlement

MARIN COUNTY, CA — A Marin landlord has agreed to comply with state law and pay a fair housing advocacy group $25,000 after allegedly refusing to accept housing vouchers, the state’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing said Wednesday in a news release.

A housing discrimination complaint filed by Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California (FHANC) precipitated the agreement, the DFEH said.

The complaint alleged that the owners of Bon Air Apartments, a large Greenbrae apartment complex refused to rent to prospective tenants who would have used housing choice (formerly known as Section 8) vouchers to help pay their rent .

State law prohibits discrimination based on a tenant’s source of income, including use of a housing choice voucher.

The dispute was resolved through mediation with the DFEH’s Dispute Resolution Division.

Under terms of the settlement, the property owners agreed to comply with state law barring discrimination against prospective tenants regardless of income source and pay FHANC $25,000 in frustration of mission and counteraction damages.

“Rental housing costs throughout California have skyrocketed, making parts of the State effectively off-limits,” said DFEH Director Kevin Kish. “By ensuring that a major housing provider in Marin County accepts housing choice vouchers, this settlement promotes housing choice and equal access.”

The landlord and property are not named in the DFEH news release, but the FHANC complaint identifies Greenbrae Management as the property manager.

Greenbrae Management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Correction: Greenbrae Management manages Bon Air Apartments. A previous version of this article inaccurately reported that the company owns the property.