Did you know that New York has a specific provision in its housing laws forbidding discrimination based on lawful occupation? This means a person can’t refuse to rent or sell property based on the renter/buyers occupation (provided it’s legal, of course). This is something of an interesting provision. The story of how it came to be is even more interesting.
For awhile, it was difficult for lawyers to find places to live in New York. It’s always a chore to hunt for a rental, especially in New York, but this was made even more difficult by the fact that many landlords would refuse to rent to attorneys. In general, this was because lawyers are more likely to read the lease before signing it and MUCH more likely to sue if landlords fail to uphold their end of the bargain. So what changed all this? Well eventually attorneys got fed up and started a lobby. Eventually they got a New York law written containing the provision mentioned above. And thus the problem reached an amicable resolution.