Dive Brief:
- Greystar, the U.S.’ largest apartment manager and owner, is accused of systematically refusing to rent to prospective tenants using Housing Choice Vouchers, widely known as Section 8, in violation of fair housing laws in six states and Washington, D.C., according to a press release from law firm Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll LLP.
- National watchdog group Housing Rights Initiative filed complaints July 14 in Virginia, California, Maryland, Hawaii, Michigan, New Jersey and the district, alleging Greystar committed 114 violations of state and local fair housing laws across these jurisdictions, per the release.
- In response to Multifamily Dive’s inquiries about the allegations, a Greystar spokesperson said in emailed comments that, “Greystar remains committed to fair housing practices in everything we do. Greystar provides training and expects our team members to comply with all applicable laws.”
Dive Insight:
Beginning in October 2025, HRI testers called various Greystar properties posing as prospective tenants and asked if they could use a housing voucher to pay rent, according to the release. However, Greystar agents allegedly told the testers that vouchers would not be accepted, and sometimes they imposed unlawful conditions like requiring the voucher to cover full rent or refusing to count vouchers toward minimum income requirements, HRI claims.
Greystar manages more than 1.1 million units in the U.S. and globally, according to its website.
In the release, HRI Founder and Executive Director of HR Aaron Carr said, “Greystar has been committing mass civil rights violations at a scale unlike anything our organization has ever seen. We have never encountered a landlord that operates with such brazen contempt and hostility toward the rule of law as Greystar.”
Federal law does not mandate landlords to accept housing voucher holders, but state- and jurisdiction-level laws vary. Refusing to accept vouchers to pay rent and other policies that disadvantage otherwise qualified voucher-holders can be considered “source of income discrimination” in some states and cities, according to HUD’s website. Tenants who use vouchers are still subject to the same rules and conditions as non-voucher residents.
HRI provided a compilation of the alleged violations and audio recordings of the calls in which Greystar agents appeared to reject voucher holders. When testers called Greystar buildings, they repeatedly got the same answer that no vouchers were accepted, according to Carr.
“That’s not a glitch; it’s a reprehensible business model. As the largest landlord in America, Greystar should be setting the standard of best practices for the nation, not systematically rejecting legitimate prospective tenants,” Carr said in the release. “No landlord of this size should be permitted to break the law with impunity.”
Multifamily Dive reached out to HRI for additional information but did not get a response.
Housing vouchers are one of the most effective tools available to alleviate poverty, housing instability and segregation, according to Brian Corman, partner at Cohen Milstein.
“When housing providers unlawfully refuse to consider applicants simply because they use a voucher, they erect barriers that undermine these proven benefits and deny families access to housing opportunities that the law is designed to protect,” Corman said in the release. “Greystar’s conduct not only harms voucher holders but also violates state law and frustrates the broader public purpose of ensuring that safe, affordable housing remains accessible to all eligible families.”
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