114 Complaints: What Testers Say Greystar Properties Told Voucher Holders

Housing Rights Initiative filed fair housing complaints in six states and D.C. in July 2026. The allegations are unproven, and Greystar says it is committed to fair housing.

A long dim apartment corridor of closed doors with a blank paper slip and a single key on the floor in front of one shut door, a small red mark beside it, in sepia ink-wash style. — Illustration generated with ElevenLabs. It depicts no real people, properties or documents.

In July 2026, a nonprofit called Housing Rights Initiative filed complaints with state and local civil rights agencies in Virginia, California, Maryland, Hawaii, Michigan, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. The complaints allege 114 violations of source-of-income laws, which in those places protect renters who pay with Housing Choice Vouchers, often called Section 8.

These are allegations filed with agencies, and the complaints were pending in our record. Greystar told HousingWire it is committed to fair housing.

What the testers say they were told

The complaints rest on undercover testing. HousingWire reported that testers were allegedly told vouchers were not accepted, that they would have to cover 100% of the rent, or that voucher assistance would not count toward income minimums. Bisnow and The Guardian described the same allegations nationally.

Local outlets reported what the complaints mean for their states:

In Honolulu, Civil Beat reported that testers sent by a nonprofit were told by Greystar agents that their vouchers would not work, in alleged violation of Hawaii's source-of-income protections.
On Maui, Maui Now reported that a Greystar property in Wailuku was named in the Hawaii complaints.
In Virginia, the Virginia Mercury reported that managed properties were alleged to have refused or illegally conditioned voucher applicants despite state protections.

Earlier fair housing matters in the record

The 2026 complaints are not the first fair housing matter involving Greystar in our record. Each of these ended differently.

2022, Virginia. After a testing investigation by the Equal Rights Center, a fair housing nonprofit and not a government agency, GREP Atlantic entered a five-year voluntary agreement covering all Greystar-managed Virginia properties. Income requirements for voucher holders would be based only on the tenant's share of rent, credit-score screening would not apply where a voucher covers full rent, and the agreement called for signage, training and 20 compliance tests.
January 2026, California. The state Civil Rights Department announced a settlement after a complaint that an applicant at a Hollywood complex was denied based on criminal history without a chance to explain. Greystar California agreed to review and revise screening policies statewide, notify staff of California's criminal-history protections, train specified Southern California staff, and pay the complainant $10,000.
2013, Nashville. A HUD complaint alleged that TriTex Real Estate Advisors and Greystar Management Services subjected Hispanic residents of the 233-unit Clairmont Apartments to different terms, intimidation and harassment based on national origin. The respondents denied discrimination and entered a conciliation agreement without any finding of liability.
2020 to 2025, advertising. Housing Rights Initiative and an older Washington, D.C. resident sued 10 property managers, including Greystar, alleging apartment ads on Facebook were targeted to exclude users over 50. The case was dismissed on standing, and the Fourth Circuit affirmed in March 2025. A standing ruling is about whether the plaintiff could bring the case, not about the merits.

How to read this

Testing is an accepted method in fair housing enforcement, but a complaint is the start of a process. Agencies investigate, and outcomes in the record range from agreements with no finding of liability to dismissal. The 114 complaints from 2026 are the largest set in our record and had not been resolved when we last updated it.

Read the record

Each item below is on The Greystar Review with a link to its original source.

This article summarizes public records and published reporting collected by The Greystar Review. Allegations are described as allegations, and a settlement is not a finding of wrongdoing unless a court or agency says so. If something here is wrong, tell us and we will fix it.