Almost two years after Newsday’s groundbreaking ‘Long Island Divided’ report, 18 real estate agents are at risk of losing their licensure for violating fair housing regulations during the publication’s three-year undercover investigation.

First reported by Newsday on April 9, the New York Department of State (NYDS) is making good on its promise to crack down on fair housing violations after the New York State Senate released a scathing report about housing discrimination in January. The NYDS has launched 132 investigations of agents, brokers and real estate instructors, 52 of which are directly related to the ‘Long Island Divided’ report.

Alfred Fazio | Credit: LinkedIn

“What we’ve seen in the past year or so is an increase in the number of government agencies who have started to take an active role in enforcement,” lawyer and New York State Association of Realtors instructor Alfred Fazio told Newsday. “The message is clear that systemic racism does exist … [and] it’s not going to be tolerated, and appropriate action is going to be taken.”

So far, NYDS has only revoked Anne Marie Queally Bechand’s license — the first agent since 1997 to lose their license due to fair housing violations. Queally Bechand was featured in the Newsday report for her treatment of Black undercover testers, who she required to provide prequalification letters before showing listings. Queally Bechand didn’t have the same standards for white testers, to who she agreed to show listings without prequalification.

As for the other 131 agents under the spotlight, three cases have been closed, as one agent is deceased and the other’s license is two years past due. Another three agents have appealed their license revocation, alongside three real estate instructors who deny violating New York State’s three-hour fair housing training minimum.

Of the 18 agents featured in the Newsday investigation, only four agents have had hearings. The others’ hearings are scheduled from April through June, where the NYDS will decide whether to renew their licenses, suspend them or permanently revoke them.

“Because of our past mistakes, the real estate industry has a special role to play in the fight for fair housing,” he added.

This month is the 53rd anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits housing discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, and family status. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Discrimination has launched a month-long celebration with access to free training for real estate professionals.

Email Marian McPherson

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