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The Housing Rights Initiative, a nonprofit watchdog group, has filed multiple complaints with the New Jersey Department of Civil Rights alleging fair housing violations by Greystar, the nation’s largest apartment manager and owner.
The filing is part of a multi-state lawsuit, totaling 114 complaints filed in six states and Washington, D.C., that accuses the company of systematically refusing to rent to prospective tenants with Section 8 housing vouchers.
“Greystar is committing massive civil rights violations on a scale our organization has never seen before,” said Housing Rights Initiative Founder and Executive Director Aaron Carr. “We have never encountered a landowner like Greystar who operates with such brazen contempt and hostility to the rule of law. America’s largest landowner is America’s most discriminatory landowner.”
In response to the allegations, Greystar said in a statement that it “remains committed to fair housing practices.” The company also said it “provides training and expects our team members to comply with all applicable laws.”
The charges were filed after a series of sting operations that began in October 2025. Testers from the Housing Rights Initiative would call Greystar properties posing as prospective tenants.
These testers asked the property’s lease agent if they could use Section 8 housing vouchers to pay rent. The complaint alleges that Greystar’s leasing agents repeatedly refused to accept vouchers, imposed illegal conditions, such as requiring vouchers to cover 100% of rent, and refused to count voucher assistance toward minimum income requirements.
The Housing Rights Initiative said this is a direct violation of fair housing laws in all seven jurisdictions and highlights the need for strong enforcement by state civil rights and housing authorities.
According to Greystar’s website, Greystar manages more than 1.1 million units nationwide.
The Housing Rights Initiative said its investigation into Greystar is ongoing and additional fair housing violations may be added to the public record as inspections continue.
“Our investigation into Greystar reveals that Greystar’s discriminatory practices are part of a much larger pattern underlying income discrimination across housing markets across the country,” said Akash Patel, director of program development at the Housing Rights Initiative. “Fair and equitable housing practices are critical to social stability, and allowing discrimination to continue will further disadvantage our most vulnerable neighbors.”
Maddie McGay is a real estate reporter for NorthJersey.com and The Record, covering everything that’s worth celebrating about living in North Jersey. Find her on Instagram @maddiemcgay or X @maddiemcgayy and sign up for the North Jersey Living newsletter. Have a tip, trend, or great home she should know about? Email MMcGay@gannett.com.
