The landlords of flats and apartments in India's metropolitan and cosmopolitan cities are famous for their bizarre "vegetarian only" rules, but it is a little offbeat to know that one landlord in New York has placed a similar condition on his future tenants.
According to the New York Times, "the real estate listing that appeared briefly in Brooklyn last week sounded beguiling: two spacious, sun-drenched, full-floor apartments in a wide brick townhome in Fort Greene with spectacular outdoor spaces and period details. The "wonderful vegan landlord," the broker wrote, had only one house rule: "no meat or fish in the building."
Explaining the rules to one potential tenant, the real estate broker, Andrea Kelly, said meat eaters were not banned; cooking meat and fish was.
"It's not vegetarian-only, but the owner, Ms Michal Arieh Lerer lives in the building and doesn't want the smell of cooking meat drifting upstairs," she said.
The NYT said Lerer's ex-husband, who co-owns the building and is also vegan, claimed they had refused to rent to meat-eaters who cook since buying the property in 2007.
"It's not about discrimination," Motti Lerer said. "You have to fit into the building."
The broker explained that while the renters are welcome to purchase takeaway meals containing meat and fish, cooking those meals on-site is not possible due to odour concerns.
According to The New York Post, the listing that mentioned the rule on nextdoor.com was taken down on Friday, the day after it was posted, but Douglas Elliman still lists the apartments on its own site, though without mention of the meat policy. The listings do note, "Cats welcome on a case-by-case basis (only one, please)."
