Meat eaters need not apply.
A vegan New York City landlord has listed a spacious apartment with beautiful views but will only rent to prospective tenants who agree not to cook any meat or fish in the kitchen.
The unusual meat ban was laid bare in an online listing for the two pricey one-bedroom apartments currently up for grabs in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood, the New York Times reported.
Landlord Michal Arieh Lerer was described in the listing as a “wonderful vegan landlord.”
Lerer lives in the meatless walkup and simply doesn’t want the stench of non-plant-based juices, according to the broker.
“It’s not vegetarian-only, but the owner lives in the building and doesn’t want the smell of cooking meat drifting upstairs,” Andrea Kelly, the broker Douglas Elliman, could be heard telling a prospective tenant at an open house showing on Sunday.
Those aspiring to rent the 90 South Oxford Street apartments — presently listed for $4,500 and $5,750 — can still order meat-and-fish-based dishes, the broker insisted, but the meals can not be cooked on site.
The landlord and broker refused to comment when contacted by The Post about the meat ban.
Locals, however, were taken aback by the meat-free kitchen rule.
“You can’t tell people what to eat and what not to eat,” Corey, the superintendent of a nearby building, told The Post on Monday.
“That ‘ain’t right. I wouldn’t be able to rent there.”
Scott Fu, a 29-year-old bike mechanic who lives nearby, added: “That’s a new one! Can you legally do that, outlaw smells?”
“If you can, I’d outlaw whatever the hell my neighbor’s cooking constantly because it stinks,” he continued.
Under the Big Apple’s Human Rights Law, landlords aren’t permitted to consider 14 specific characteristics — including age, race, or sexual orientation — when they decide to approve or deny a prospective tenant’s application.
A tenant’s dietary preference isn’t on the list.
It wasn’t directly clear how many potential renters have toured the two apartments, or if the dwellings had been snapped up already.
The original listing that referenced the “no meat/fish in the building” rule has since been taken down from the nextdoor.com site.
The listings, sans the rule, are still viewable on the real estate agent’s website.
A vegan landlord in New York City has been banning tenants from cooking meat since 2007, sparking a discussion about quirky landlord requirements https://t.co/J1OBGthpY5
— Insider Business (@BusinessInsider) June 19, 2023
