This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Village of Fort
Plain Fair Housing Law."
For the purpose of providing and ensuring fair housing opportunities
for all within the Village of Fort Plain, the Village Board of the Village
of Fort Plain in the County of Montgomery, State of New York, under the authority
of the General Municipal and Village Laws, hereby obtains, enacts and publishes
this chapter.
Except as exempted by §
96-7, it shall be unlawful within the Village of Fort Plain:
A. For a person, after offering property for sale or rent
or otherwise in any matter seeking a buyer or renter, to refuse to sell or
rent after the making of a bona fide offer or to refuse to negotiate for the
sale or rental of or otherwise make unavailable or deny a dwelling to any
person because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or
national origin.
B. To discriminate against any person in the terms, conditions
or privileges or sale or rental of a dwelling or in the provision of services
or facilities in connection therewith because of race, color, religion, sex,
handicap, familial status or national origin.
C. To make, print or publish or cause to be made, printed
or published any notice, statement or advertisement with respect to the sale
or rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, limitation or discrimination
based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national
origin or any intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.
D. To represent to any person because of race, color, religion,
sex, handicap, familial status or national origin that any dwelling is not
available for inspection, sale or rental when such dwelling is in fact so
available.
E. For profit, to induce or attempt to induce any person
to sell or rent any dwelling by representations regarding the entry or prospective
entry into the neighborhood of a person or persons of a particular race, color,
religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin.
It shall be unlawful within the Village of Fort Plain for any bank, building and loan association, insurance company or other corporation, association, firm or enterprise whose business consists in whole or in part in the making of commercial real estate loans to deny a loan or other financial assistance to a person applying therefor for the purpose of purchasing, constructing, improving, repairing or maintaining a dwelling; or to discriminate against him in the fixing of the amount, interest rate, duration or other terms or conditions of such loan or other financial assistance because of the race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin of such person or of any person associated with him in connection with such loan or other financial assistance or the purposes of such loan or other financial assistance or of the present or prospective owners, lessees, tenants or occupants of the dwelling or dwellings in relation to which such loan or other financial assistance is to be made or given, provided that nothing contained in this section shall impair the scope or effectiveness of the exception contained in §
96-7.
It shall be unlawful within the Village of Fort Plain to deny any person
access to or membership or participation in any multiple-listing service,
real estate broker's organization or other service, organization or facility
relating to the business of selling or renting dwellings or to discriminate
against him in the terms or conditions of such access, membership or participation
on account of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national
origin.
The authority and responsibility for publicizing, administering and
enforcing this chapter shall be in the village's Fair Housing Officer
to be designated by the Mayor of the Village of Fort Plain.
Violations of this chapter shall be reported in person or in writing
to the village's Fair Housing Officer. Where sufficient cause exists
to believe that the terms of this chapter have been violated, the Fair Housing
Officer shall institute a suit in the Minden Town Court against the alleged
violator.
Where a person or organization has been found, upon default, consent
or after a trial on the merits, in violation of this chapter, a fine shall
be imposed on such person or organization not to exceed $250 or imprisonment
for not more than 15 days, or by both such fine and imprisonment. Each and
every separate violation of this chapter shall be deemed an offense for the
purposes of imposing the appropriate fine. Any party found in violation of
this chapter shall be liable for the costs and disbursements of the suit.