August 21, 2025
The Equal Rights Center’s investigations and lawsuits detail how D.C. landlords turn away prospective tenants just because they use housing vouchers to pay rent.
Undercover rental applicants found blatant and widespread discrimination against housing voucher holders by landlords of luxury apartment buildings in Navy Yard, Shaw, and NoMa, according to a new lawsuit filed by the Equal Rights Center, a nonprofit civil rights organization.
The ERC’s “testers” inquired about renting at J.Coopers Row, Jefferson MarketPlace, J Linea, and Pinnacle but ran into unlawful requirements, such as minimum income for voucher holders and overly broad eviction and criminal background screenings, according to the lawsuit filed against JAG Management Company and Jefferson Apartment Group.
One manager stated, “their application will unfortunately be denied even if the voucher is sufficient enough to cover their full rent.”
More than 10,000 D.C. residents depend on housing choice vouchers. Formerly known as “Section 8” vouchers, these government-funded subsidies enable low-income tenants to secure housing in the private rental market that they otherwise couldn’t afford.
But the promise of finding a home in a desirable neighborhood frequently runs into a harsh reality: Landlords in D.C. often illegally deny or discourage access to available units, according to covert investigations and lawsuits filed in just the past five years. D.C. law prohibits denials based on source of income and sets strict limits on considering eviction and criminal records.
The legal action is the latest in a string of lawsuits brought by ERC that highlight a long-standing pattern of discrimination across the District. Through strategic litigation and fair housing testing, the ERC has uncovered widespread discriminatory practices in luxury and affordable housing properties totaling more than 3,000 units, according to legal filings.
The ERC, which relies in part on government grants, has pursued legal challenges based on several D.C. statutes, including the DC Human Rights Act, DC Consumer Protection Procedures Act, DC Rental Housing Act, Eviction Record Sealing Authority and Fairness in Renting Amendment Act, and DC Fair Criminal Record Screening for Housing Act.
Read ‘We Don’t Accept Section 8’: Undercover Testers Found Voucher Discrimination Across D.C..