Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced that his Civil Rights Division has reached a settlement with Disney Properties LLC on November 6, 2026. The settlement resolves allegations of unlawful housing discrimination based on source of income and requires Disney Properties to pay $100,000 in civil penalties.
The agreement mandates changes to rental application and tenant screening practices to ensure that prospective tenants using Housing Choice Vouchers have a fair opportunity to obtain housing.
Press Release: Office of the Attorney General of Maryland
Published November 6, 2026. Reproduced in full from the Office of the Attorney General of Maryland.
Attorney General Brown Announces $100,000 Settlement with Eastern Shore Landlord Over Alleged Housing Voucher Discrimination
Settlement Removes Barriers to Rental Housing as Maryland Strengthens Protections for Renters Using Housing Assistance
BALTIMORE, MD , Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today announced that his Civil Rights Division has reached a settlement with Disney Properties LLC, a Salisbury-based landlord that owns, operates, or manages approximately 100 rental properties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The settlement resolves allegations of unlawful housing discrimination based on source of income. Disney Properties is required to pay $100,000 in civil penalties and make significant changes to its rental application and tenant screening practices. These changes will help ensure that prospective tenants who rely on housing vouchers and other lawful sources of income have a fair opportunity to obtain housing.
The Civil Rights Division opened an investigation into Disney Properties’ rental practices and found reasonable cause to believe that the company discriminated against prospective tenants who sought to use Housing Choice Vouchers, which are part of a federal rental assistance program often called Section 8. The investigation found that Disney Properties refused to rent to applicants using housing vouchers and published rental application requirements calling for three to four current pay stubs. These requirements created barriers for prospective tenants who rely on rental assistance, disability benefits, retirement income, or other lawful sources of income rather than traditional employment.
“Housing vouchers are supposed to help people secure a home, not be the reason they are turned away,” said Attorney General Brown. “This settlement will make it easier for Marylanders to put a roof over their loved ones’ heads, whether they pay their rent with a paycheck, a voucher, or disability benefits.”
Maryland’s Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) Act prohibits landlords from discriminating against prospective tenants based on their lawful source of income, including Housing Choice Vouchers and other forms of rental assistance. These protections recognize that how a person pays their rent should not prevent them from having a fair opportunity to obtain housing.
On October 1, 2026, Maryland strengthened these protections through a new law, the Discrimination in Housing for Income-Based Housing Subsidies and Positive Rental History Reporting Act, that further limits the use of financial screening criteria to deny housing to applicants receiving income-based housing subsidies. The new protections underscore Maryland’s commitment to ensuring that rental assistance provides a meaningful pathway to housing rather than being undermined by screening practices that unnecessarily exclude the people it is intended to help.
Under the terms of the settlement, Disney Properties must:
· Accept Housing Choice Vouchers and other lawful sources of income at all covered rental properties and evaluate income requirements based on the portion of rent the applicant is responsible for paying, rather than the full rental amount.
· Eliminate discriminatory application requirements, including unnecessary demands for employment pay stubs and physical Social Security cards when reasonable alternative documentation is available.
· Revise its rental applications, advertisements, websites, and other leasing materials to remove language that discourages voucher holders and other prospective tenants who rely on lawful non-employment income from applying.
· Adopt revised tenant screening policies, including individualized criminal-history assessments and a centralized management review process for proposed application denials.
· Waive application fees for up to 100 eligible applicants who intend to use housing vouchers or other rental subsidies during the agreement’s supervision period.
· Provide fair housing training to owners, employees, managers, and leasing personnel, and notify current tenants and certain prior applicants of the company’s revised policies.
· Share available rental listings with public housing agencies, nonprofit housing providers, and community organizations serving voucher holders and low-income renters on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
· Pay $100,000 in civil penalties to the State of Maryland.
The settlement also requires Disney Properties to maintain records and submit semiannual compliance reports to the Civil Rights Division during the agreement’s two-year term. These measures will allow the Division to monitor the company’s rental practices and ensure that the required changes are implemented.
In making today’s announcement, the Attorney General thanked the Civil Rights Division, specifically Division Chief Jonathan M. Smith, Deputy Division Chief Rashida Ogletree-George, and Assistant Attorney General Marques Banks.
The Civil Rights Division was established to protect the rights of Maryland residents and promote equal opportunity across housing, employment, and public services. The Division investigates potential violations of civil rights laws and resolves them through policy reform, education, and settlement where appropriate. To contact the Civil Rights Division, please call 410-576-6300 or 888-743-0023 toll-free. Reports of civil rights violations can be made by completing the Civil Rights Complaint Form.
