Inman Connect
A new feature on New York City-based real estate listing site StreetEasy is arming renters with housing vouchers with information about their rights.
Although federal law does not prohibit landlords from rejecting housing vouchers such as those provided by the federal Section 8 program, several state and municipal laws do prohibit discrimination against renters who use vouchers.
As of late December 2020, 49.3 percent of rental listings in the U.S. were located in regions with laws prohibiting discrimination against renters who use vouchers, according to Zillow. In January, Zillow expanded its Local Legal Protections tool to help renters fight voucher discrimination.
Zillow is expanding its Local Legal Protections tool to help renters fight discrimination, the company announced on Thursday.
With the expanded tool, Zillow will now be able to provide renters with source of income and voucher discrimination protection data on all of the company’s rental listings. The new “data-powered resource” will show renters whether or not their state or local laws provide protection from discrimination based on how they pay rent, whether that’s through job wages, a Housing Choice Voucher (also known as Section 8) or other forms of income like alimony or disability.
Zillow’s Local Legal Protections tool | Credit: Zillow