---
title: "The nation's largest landlord is accused of turning away Section 8 renters in California"
description: "Greystar, the country's largest apartment owner and manager, is accused of illegally refusing to rent to tenants with Section 8 vouchers at properties in California and other states, a fair-housing watchdog says, based on an undercover-testing investigation. Turning away voucher holders is illegal in California."
category: "Los Angeles"
category_url: https://herald.la/category/los-angeles
author: "Gabriela Soto"
published: 2026-07-15T22:56:00.000Z
updated: 2026-07-15T22:56:00.000Z
canonical: https://herald.la/article/the-nation-s-largest-landlord-is-accused-of-turning-away-section-8-renters-in-ca
tags: ["housing", "section 8", "discrimination", "greystar", "california"]
---
# The nation's largest landlord is accused of turning away Section 8 renters in California

Greystar, the country's largest apartment owner and manager, is accused of illegally refusing to rent to tenants with Section 8 vouchers at properties in California and other states, a fair-housing watchdog says, based on an undercover-testing investigation. Turning away voucher holders is illegal in California.

The biggest landlord in the country stands accused of a basic and, in California, illegal practice: telling renters with government housing vouchers that they need not apply.

## The accusation

The Housing Rights Initiative, a New York-based fair-housing watchdog, said it has [filed complaints accusing Greystar of 114 violations of state fair-housing laws](https://www.cohenmilstein.com/more-than-100-civil-rights-violations-filed-in-multi-state-enforcement-action-against-the-largest-landlord-in-america/) across California and other states plus Washington, D.C. Greystar is [the largest apartment owner and manager in the United States, with roughly 1.1 million units](https://www.bisnow.com/national/news/multifamily/greystar-accused-by-watchdog-of-discriminating-against-section-8-voucher-users-135408) in its portfolio.

The group said its findings came from undercover testing: beginning in October 2025, testers posing as prospective tenants called Greystar buildings and asked whether they could use a Housing Choice Voucher, the federal rent-assistance program known as Section 8. In call after call, the watchdog said, they were told no, or were given conditions that effectively ruled the vouchers out, such as demands that the voucher cover the entire rent. In one California example the group cited, a caller inquiring at a Greystar-run complex in Santa Clara was told the property does not accept vouchers.

## Why it's illegal in California

Refusing a tenant because they hold a Section 8 voucher is not merely a business preference in California; it is against the law. A state statute that took effect in 2020 bars landlords from discriminating based on a renter's "source of income," which includes housing vouchers. Landlords may not turn voucher holders away, impose different terms on them, or refuse to count the voucher toward income requirements. Participation in Section 8, once optional for landlords, is in effect mandatory in the state.

## Greystar's response

Greystar said it is committed to fair housing. The company [said its employees "are trained and are expected to abide by all applicable laws,"](https://www.bisnow.com/national/news/multifamily/greystar-accused-by-watchdog-of-discriminating-against-section-8-voucher-users-135408) and that it "remains committed to fair housing practices in everything we do." It did not directly address the specific calls the watchdog documented. The complaints are allegations, not findings of liability, and they have been referred to state agencies and attorneys general to review.

## The stakes in a housing crisis

For low-income Californians, the stakes are high. In a state with some of the nation's highest rents and a deep shortage of affordable homes, a Section 8 voucher is often the only realistic path to stable housing, and being able to actually use it depends on landlords following the law. Fair-housing advocates note that source-of-income discrimination remains common despite the ban; a state testing effort last year found evidence of it at a majority of properties checked in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. That a company the size of Greystar is now the target of a sweeping complaint, its accusers argue, shows how far enforcement still has to go.

## Sources

- [Greystar accused by watchdog of discriminating against Section 8 voucher users](https://www.bisnow.com/national/news/multifamily/greystar-accused-by-watchdog-of-discriminating-against-section-8-voucher-users-135408)
- [More than 100 civil rights violations filed against the largest landlord in America](https://www.cohenmilstein.com/more-than-100-civil-rights-violations-filed-in-multi-state-enforcement-action-against-the-largest-landlord-in-america/)