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A vegan landlord in NYC refuses to rent apartments to tenants who cook meat and fish

Tuesday, 20/06/2023, 15:28 (GMT+7)

The owner of a New York building has issued a rule requiring tenants to use the kitchen only for processing and cooking vegetable dishes. If they want meat, they have to order food from outside.

According to a New York Post report, in New York City, a vegan landlord has listed a spacious apartment with beautiful views but will only rent it to tenants who don't cook meat or fish in the kitchen.

A vegan landlord in NYC refuses to rent apartments to tenants who cook meat and fish 1
Image Credits: Stephen Yang

The landlord stipulates that residents must abide by the "no meat or fish cooking in the house" rule. The reason is that the owner is a vegan and asked his tenants to follow suit.

According to the New York Times, the unusual meat ban was laid for two expensive one-bedroom apartments in Brooklyn's Fort Greene. 

A vegan landlord in NYC refuses to rent apartments to tenants who cook meat and fish 2
Image Credits: New York Time

Specifically, The broker Andrea Kelly stated that the landlord does not require tenants to completely give up eating meat and transition to a vegetarian diet. Instead, they are not allowed to cook meat-related dishes.

A person familiar with the building confirmed the rule to Insider, citing the ban on cooking meat because the smell wafts through the smaller building, where the ventilation system "isn't very good."

The person added that the rule had been in place for a long time and previous tenants didn't mind or found it annoying. The reason is that most people buy vegetables from outside and bring them to the restaurant instead of processing them directly in the kitchen.

A vegan landlord in NYC refuses to rent apartments to tenants who cook meat and fish 3
image Credits: iStock.

Homeowner Michal Arieh Lerer, whose ex-husband is a co-owner of the building and is also vegetarian, said the pair have followed the rules since buying the home in 2007, 16 years ago.

In 2015, a Washington state landlord offered discounts to vegan tenants. The preference of tenants not to eat animals is also common in Canada for cultural reasons.

A vegan landlord in NYC refuses to rent apartments to tenants who cook meat and fish 4
Image Credits: elliman.com

However, the incident became the topic of discussion on social networks. Some believe such rules are imposed. While rents in New York are notoriously expensive, banning barbecues in apartments is still considered an oddity that would make many people contemplate renting.

The list of criteria that landlords in the Big Apple are prohibited from considering under the Human Rights Law includes 14 specific characteristics, such as age, race...However, a tenant's dietary preference is not included in this list.