Lawyer? Law Student? This Rental Community Will Not Accept Your Application!
Boca Raton Lawyer Says It’s Legal!
BY: ANDREW COLTON | Editor and Publisher
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2022 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — We don’t know a lot of — or quite frankly, any — attorneys who are seeking to rent an apartment at the Forest Pointe apartments in Coconut Creek, but let this serve as a warning: you can’t.
The apartment complex refuses to permit attorneys, whether practicing or not, to rent a unit at the complex at 3800 Coral Tree Circle. The lease agreement, provided to BocaNewsNow.com, specifically states: ”We do not accept rental applications from prospective residents who are practicing attorneys, non-practicing attorneys, or students enrolled either full-time or part-time in law school.”
What is the management company afraid of? We don’t know. They refused to respond to requests for comment from BocaNewsNow.com. So we reached out to area HOA, Tenant and Homeowner’s rights attorney Scott Weires who said it’s perfectly legal to ban lawyers.
”Discrimination in housing is prohibited if it targets the currently protected classes – race, color, national origin, religion, sex/gender identity, family status, disability,” said Weires. ”One’s employment, trade or profession is not currently considered a protected class and, as a result, the quick answer is that this apartment complex is not engaged in any unlawful discrimination.”
Weires, who is partner at the Boca Raton-based law firm of Murdoch Weires, also adds this:
“Remember that apartment complexes regularly screen for things such as credit scores and criminal background, both of which technically are manners of discriminating among applicants but are not considered unlawful discrimination.”
Forest Pointe units rent for roughly $2400 per month, depending on floor plans. We will update if the leasing company ultimately provides a statement concerning lawyers, law students, and other people who they find to be unacceptable to live at the complex.
