Vegan NYC landlord sparks controversy for prohibiting tenants from cooking meat and fish in the apartment

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Mohsina Dodhiya21st June 202321st June 2023Ethics, Food, News

Meat eaters are not welcome!

A seemingly ordinary apartment listing in a beautiful brick townhome in New York has sparked controversy, as its vegan landlord has only one rule for tenants: no meat or fish can be cooked in the building.

The controversial rule is intended to prevent the odour of cooking meat from permeating the upper floors. While takeaway is fine, cooking a roast on a Sunday is not.

The apartments are listed at prices ranging from $4,500 to $5,750 for one-bedrooms and seem to appeal to renters who are willing to embrace a meatless lifestyle.

The broker, Andrea Kelly, clarified that meat-eaters were not banned from renting. However, they were not permitted to cook meat or fish due to the landlord’s preference.

The landlord, Michal Arieh Lerer, declined to comment on the matter, and the real estate agency remained silent. However, Michal’s ex-husband, Motti Lerer, who co-owns the building and shares the vegan lifestyle, explained that their refusal to rent to meat-eaters has been an ongoing policy since they purchased the property in 2007.

Motti emphasized that it is not a discriminatory stance but rather an attempt to ensure that tenants align with the building’s lifestyle.

Is it legal?

Netizens have questioned the legality of such a policy.

According to NYC human rights law, landlords in New York City are not allowed to say no to a person who wants to rent their apartment based on certain things about that person such as age, race, family status, job, source of income, and sexual orientation.

Dietary preference isn’t on the list and so it seems landlords are permitted to refuse to rent to meat-eaters. However, if a meat-eater could prove that they needed to eat meat for medical reasons, they might be allowed to challenge the policy.

Online debate

Legal or not, the unusual rule sparked a debate on social media.

“Vegans are as insufferable as evangelicals… just at the other end of the spectrum,” wrote one Twitter user.

“This is normal with landlords in India, who specifically post that they only want “vegetarian tenants,” added another.

Meanwhile, others supported the landlord’s decision to ban meat on his premises,

“I’m a vegan and don’t have issues or ever preach to my carnivore friends. And that’s over 35 years of veganism. That said, I don’t see a problem with a landlord restricting tenants to vegans. He’s doing it up front and there’s lots of other places to rent in NYC,” one user wrote.

“These are the rules of my place. I like knowing that there are no animal products allowed in the fridge or on my pans, plates etc,” another commented.