Source-of-income discrimination complaint form

In New York state, it is illegal for an owner, manager, broker, or other representative to 

  • refuse to rent, sell, or lease housing to you based on your source of income (with a few exceptions)
  • deny your application for housing based on your source of income
  • set different terms or conditions because of your source of income
  • advertise that certain forms of income, such as Section 8 vouchers, are not accepted

Read a detailed explanation and see examples of source-of-income discrimination. 

Filing a complaint does not start a lawsuit on your behalf. We will keep your information on file in case we identify a pattern regarding the individual(s) or business(es) named in your complaint. The Attorney General cannot give legal advice or represent individual complainants in court. For questions on your legal rights or responsibilities, please contact a private lawyer.

The following agencies may be able to help you with your individual complaint:

Regional office
Contact information
(ex:999-999-9999 or 999-999-9999 x9999)
Are you the person that experienced discrimination?
Contact information for person who experienced discrimination
Have you made a complaint regarding this discrimination to any government agency or fair housing organization?
If yes
What is the address of the property that you were seeking to rent or buy?
How many units/apartments does this property have?
Does the owner live in the building where you tried to rent?
What type of income was the source of discrimination?
How was the discriminatory act communicated to you?
Did you interact with a broker?
Do you know who the landlord or management company of the property is?
Landlord or management company
Communication method details
Were you told directly that your source of income was not accepted, or was another reason given for refusing housing to you?
Maximum 5 files.
25 MB limit.
Allowed types: gif, jpg, jpeg, png, bmp, txt, rtf, pdf, doc, docx, ppt, pptx, xls, xlsx, .
In filing this complaint, I understand that:
The Attorney General is not my private lawyer. The Attorney General is a public servant who protects the public from illegal or misleading practices. This complaint does not mean that the Attorney General will start a lawsuit for me.
The Attorney General cannot give me legal advice or represent me in court. If I have any questions about my legal rights or responsibilities, I should contact a private lawyer.
The Attorney General may send a copy of my complaint, and any documents I provide, to the person or organization I mention in my complaint. I give that person or organization permission to provide information about my complaint to the Attorney General.
The Attorney General works with other government agencies at the state, local, and federal levels to investigate complaints and work with the police. The Attorney General may share my complaint with these agencies.
I affirm this 20th day of November, 2024, under the penalties of perjury under the laws of New York, which may include a fine or imprisonment that:
  • my complaint is true;
  • any documents attached are true and accurate copies of the original;
  • and I understand that this document may be filed in an action or proceeding in a court of law.