Landlord Loses $100,000 for Restricting Children

 The U.S. Department of Justice announced a $100,000 settlement this week against a Cleveland- area landlord and property manager accused of discriminating against children.

The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed last fall alleging that the apartment complex wrongfully restricted the property to “adult only” residency.

The owner and manager were accused of illegally refusing to rent to families with children, and of evicting or asking tenants to relocate when they had children while living at the complex.

While the Fair Housing Act does allow housing that is reserved for older persons to limit residency to adults under certain circumstances, this property did not meet the requirements for this exemption.

The settlement requires the landlord and manager together to pay $90,000 to victims and $10,000 in civil penalties to the United States. All restrictions on occupancy by families must be abandoned, and training is required for employees. The settlement also requires the complex to report to the Justice Department, which will monitor compliance with the terms of the agreement.

The Justice Department reiterated that fighting illegal housing discrimination is a top priority.

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