Vegan New York Landlord Refuses To Rent Apartments To Tenants That Cook Meat Or Fish

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Finding an apartment may often be a bit of a hassle because of the high rent costs, questionable fixtures, and the hassle of coping with unique landlord expectations.

Two Brooklyn apartments that were both beautiful and roomy, replete with outdoor areas, historical elements, and vintage oak flooring, were posted earlier this month, and on paper, everything seemed perfect.

Prospective renters quickly learned, however, that the vegan New Yorker owner didn't want to rent the apartments to anybody who cooked meat or fish after doing more investigation.

"The wonderful vegan landlord," the broker wrote, had just one house rule for renters looking to move in: "No meat/fish in the building."

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Meat eaters weren't prohibited, according to broker Andrea Kelly of Douglas Elliman Real Estate; only cooking meat and fish inside the structures was prohibited.

She said: "It’s not vegetarian-only, but the owner lives in the building and doesn’t want the smell of cooking meat drifting upstairs."

To put it concisely, ordering sushi or a pepperoni pizza for takeout is acceptable, but cooking more elaborate dishes like fillets, salmon, or a turkey is not allowed.

Despite the ban on cooking, there was still considerable interest in the two one-bedroom apartments in Fort Greene.

Stephen Yang

On Sunday (June 18), an open house was held by appointment only, and according to the New York Times, there was a continuous flow of potential tenants showing interest.

The rental prices for both apartments, which are currently set at $4,500 and $5,750, did not seem to deter prospective tenants either.

While the building's co-owner and vegan landlord, Motti Lerer, and Andrea, along with her coworkers at Douglas Elliman, remained silent at the time, Lerer's ex-husband Michal Arieh Lerer opened up about the restriction.

He disclosed that he and Michal had both refused to rent the apartments to carnivores who cook ever since they had purchased the home back in 2007.

elliman.com

"It’s not about discrimination," Motti explained. "You have to fit into the building."

Therefore, is it lawful for landlords to take into account the dietary needs of a potential renter while reviewing an application?

According to the city's Human Rights Law, landlords in the Big Apple are not permitted to take into account 14 specified traits when selecting whether to rent an apartment to a particular individual.

Age, race, familial status, employment, source of money, and sexual orientation are a few examples of such qualities.

elliman.com

It's not on the list to get the want for some grilled steak.

On nextdoor.com, the listing that made reference to the no-meat cooking regulation has subsequently been taken down.

Though the meat policy was left out, Douglas Elliman continued to list the flats on their own website.

Corey, the superintendent of an adjacent building, expressed one local's disbelief at the regulation to The Post, saying that some people were "clearly shocked" by it, almost as shocked as when we all learned the peculiar reason parmesan isn't vegetarian.

"You can’t tell people what to eat and what not to eat."

He declared: "That ‘ain’t right. I wouldn’t be able to rent there."

A local resident and 29-year-old bike mechanic, Scott Fu, added: "That’s a new one! Can you legally do that, outlaw smells?”

"If you can, I’d outlaw whatever the hell my neighbor’s cooking constantly because it stinks."