Fair Housing Notice

Our commitment

Fair housing is not a formality we acknowledge at the bottom of a page. It governs how we take an enquiry, how we describe a property, which homes we show, how we present offers to a seller, and how we train the people who work here. Every person who contacts Haven Homes Realty is entitled to the same standard of service, the same access to inventory, and the same candour about price and condition.

Luxury real estate has a long and documented history of exclusion. Practices such as steering, redlining, restrictive covenants and selective marketing shaped American neighbourhoods for generations, and their effects persist. We name that history because a firm that will not name it cannot credibly claim to have moved past it. Our obligation is not merely to avoid unlawful conduct but to actively ensure that the homes we represent are genuinely available to every qualified buyer.

Federal protections

The Fair Housing Act (Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, as amended) makes it unlawful to refuse to sell, rent, or negotiate for housing, or to otherwise make housing unavailable, because of a protected characteristic. The federally protected classes are:

• Race
• Color
• Religion
• Sex — including sexual orientation and gender identity, per HUD’s February 2021 implementation of Bostock v. Clayton County
• Disability (referred to in the statute as handicap)
• Familial status — including households with children under 18, and pregnant persons
• National origin

Related federal law reinforces these protections. The Civil Rights Act of 1866 (42 U.S.C. § 1982) guarantees all citizens the same right to inherit, purchase, lease, sell, hold and convey real property. The Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibits discrimination in lending, including on the basis of receipt of public assistance. The Americans with Disabilities Act governs accessibility in places of public accommodation, including real estate offices.

State and local protections

State and municipal law frequently protects more classes than federal law does, and where laws differ the more protective standard applies. Haven Homes Realty 2 LLC is a New York registered limited liability company with a registered address in Brick, New Jersey, and our practice reflects the requirements of both jurisdictions as well as those of every market in which we transact.

The New York State Human Rights Law extends protection to characteristics including age, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military status, marital status, lawful source of income, domestic violence victim status, and arrest or conviction record. The New Jersey Law Against Discrimination is similarly broad, covering ancestry, nationality, marital or civil union status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, liability for military service, and source of lawful income used for rental or mortgage payments.

Where we operate in other states, we observe the protections those states afford. If you are uncertain which protections apply to a transaction you are contemplating with us, ask us and we will tell you plainly.

What this means in practice

These are specific commitments, not aspirations:

• We will show you every property that meets the criteria you give us. We will not edit that list based on any assumption about where we think you would be comfortable living.
• We will not ask about, record, or pass to a seller any protected characteristic, and we will not accept instructions from a seller that would require us to.
• We will give the same information about schools, crime, demographics and neighbourhood composition to every client — which is to say, we will direct you to objective public sources rather than characterise a neighbourhood ourselves.
• We will apply the same qualification standards, deposit expectations and documentation requirements to every buyer.
• We will present every written offer to the seller, promptly and without editorial comment on the identity of the offeror.
• If a client or seller asks us to act in a discriminatory way, we will decline, and we will end the engagement if the request is repeated.

Steering and blockbusting

Steering is the practice of guiding prospective buyers toward or away from particular neighbourhoods on the basis of a protected characteristic. It is unlawful, and it is unlawful even when it is well intentioned — a sincere belief that a client would "prefer" a particular area is not a defence. We do not make neighbourhood recommendations on any basis other than the objective criteria a client has given us: budget, size, commute, schools by name, and similar.

Blockbusting is the practice of inducing a sale or rental by representing that persons of a particular protected class are entering or may enter a neighbourhood. It is unlawful without exception. We do not solicit listings on that basis and we do not employ anyone who does.

Advertising standards

Our listing copy describes property, not people. We do not use language that states or implies a preference or limitation based on a protected characteristic. Phrases of the kind that appear routinely in luxury marketing — references to an "exclusive" community, a "traditional" family home, a property suited to a particular congregation or ethnic community, or descriptions of who a neighbourhood is "perfect for" — are reviewed and removed before publication.

Photographs used in our marketing are selected to depict a range of people. Where a listing is subject to a bona fide housing-for-older-persons exemption under the Housing for Older Persons Act, that exemption is stated explicitly in the listing rather than implied.

Disability and reasonable accommodation

We will make reasonable accommodations in our policies and procedures, and permit reasonable modifications, where needed to afford a person with a disability equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling. This includes, without limitation: accommodating assistance animals in properties that otherwise restrict animals; arranging viewings at accessible times and through accessible entrances; providing listing information in alternative formats; and communicating by the method you find easiest.

Requests for accommodation are handled by the same person who handles your transaction and do not require a formal application. Tell us what you need and we will arrange it. Our digital accessibility commitments are described separately in our Accessibility Statement.

Source of income

In jurisdictions where lawful source of income is a protected characteristic — including New York and New Jersey — we do not refuse to deal with a prospective buyer or tenant because their funds derive from housing assistance, a voucher programme, social security, disability benefit, alimony, child support, a trust, or any other lawful source. Proof of funds requirements are applied identically regardless of where those funds originate.

How to file a complaint

If you believe you have experienced housing discrimination — whether in dealing with us or with anyone else — you have the right to file a complaint, and doing so costs nothing.

You may also raise the matter with us directly. We would rather hear about a failure than have it go unreported, and raising it with us does not limit your right to pursue any other remedy. Complaints to us are reviewed by a principal of the firm, not by the agent involved.

Contact us

Haven Homes Realty 2 LLC
1608 Route 88, Suite 200, Brick, NJ 08724
New York Company Number 7790088

Contact our team