Maryland Landlord Settles Housing Voucher Discrimination Case for $100,000
Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced on November 6 that his Civil Rights Division has reached a settlement with Disney Properties LLC, a Salisbury-based landlord that owns, operates or manages approximately 100 rental properties on Maryland's Eastern Shore, resolving allegations of unlawful housing discrimination based on source of income. Disney Properties must pay $100,000 in civil penalties and make significant changes to its rental application and tenant screening practices.
The Civil Rights Division's investigation found reasonable cause to believe the company discriminated against prospective tenants who sought to use Housing Choice Vouchers, the federal rental assistance program often called Section 8. The company refused to rent to applicants using housing vouchers and published application requirements calling for three to four current pay stubs, creating barriers for people who rely on rental assistance, disability benefits, retirement income or other lawful sources of income.
"Housing vouchers are supposed to help people secure a home, not be the reason they are turned away," said Attorney General Brown. "This settlement will make it easier for Marylanders to put a roof over their loved ones' heads, whether they pay their rent with a paycheck, a voucher, or disability benefits."
Maryland's Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) Act prohibits discrimination based on lawful source of income. On October 1, 2026, Maryland strengthened those protections through a new law further limiting financial screening criteria used to deny housing to applicants receiving income-based housing subsidies.
Under the settlement, Disney Properties must accept Housing Choice Vouchers and other lawful sources of income and evaluate income based on the portion of rent the applicant pays; eliminate unnecessary demands for pay stubs and physical Social Security cards; revise applications, advertisements and websites; adopt individualized criminal-history assessments and centralized review of proposed denials; waive application fees for up to 100 eligible voucher applicants; provide fair housing training; and share listings with public housing agencies and nonprofit housing providers. The company must also keep records and file semiannual compliance reports during the agreement's two-year term.
(Source: Maryland Attorney General's Office)
Source: Maryland Attorney General's Office
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于安纳波利斯的马里兰州议会大厦。Martin Falbisoner 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Maryland State House in Annapolis. Photo by Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
