BOSTON (AP) — The owner of an affordable housing property in Boston and the property manager have agreed to pay $35,000 to settle allegations that they failed to adequately address secondhand smoke and a rodent infestation that negatively affected the health of a young tenant with asthma, the attorney general said Tuesday.
According to the settlement, JPNDC Pitts MM LLC and Peabody Properties Inc. violated the state’s antidiscrimination and consumer protection laws by failing to make a reasonable accommodation for the child, despite repeated requests from the child’s parent and medical professionals, the office said in a statement.
The smoke was seeping into their apartment and the companies failed to take care of a serious rodent infestation in the building that was aggravating the asthma.
The settlement also includes the implementation of a no smoking policy across the entire JPNDC portfolio of about 200 affordable housing units, and the development of a plan to ensure the policy is enforced.
An emails seeking comment wwas left with the companies.
Political Cartoons
The attorney general has also issued new resource guidance with information on state and federal housing laws to help educate landlords, tenants, and real estate professionals about requirements to provide reasonable housing accommodations.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/MT32UR36GFEUFB446QMHEUA3T4.jpg)
