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A Braintree-based property management company has settled allegations that it violated state fair housing laws.

Under a consent judgement filed in Hampden Superior Court, Peabody Properties will pay the state $25,000, conduct employee trainings and implement new fair housing policies and procedures, according to Attorney General Maura Healey’s office. Peabody was accused of refusing to provide American Sign Language interpreters for prospective tenants who were deaf or hard of hearing.

“People with disabilities often face serious barriers to accessing safe and affordable housing, and refusal to provide reasonable accommodations to those in need further exacerbates this problem,” Healey said in a statement. “This company wouldn’t even engage with deaf tenants who were seeking housing – let alone provide them with the assistance they needed to complete a rental application. My office is committed to ensuring fair and equal access to housing for all Massachusetts residents.”

Healey’s office took up the case after the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination investigated a complaint filed by the Massachusetts Fair Housing Center (MFHC) and found probable cause.

MFHC’s testers – one deaf, one with hearing – separately inquired about renting apartments at Pynchon/Edgewater, a 612-unit Springfield apartment complex that Peabody manages, in February 2019 to follow up on 2016 and 2018 audits of the Western Massachusetts housing market that indicated the complex did not provide interpreters to deaf prospective tenants, Healey’s office said.

“The tester with hearing was treated respectfully and encouraged to apply for housing. In contrast, office staff told the deaf tester that there were no available apartments and the waiting list was a year-long, and then abruptly hung up on the tester. When the tester called back, office staff stated that ASL interpreters are only available to current tenants. In total, the deaf tester called Pynchon/Edgewater three times and was never helped with an accommodation,” Healey’s office said in a statement.

State fair housing law not only bars discrimination by landlords and property managers on a range of disabilities and other characteristics, it also defines discrimination to included refusal to make “reasonable accommodations” in rules, policies or procedures that may need to be made to give a tenant equal access to housing.

In a written statement provided to Banker & Tradesman, Peabody Properties said it has been “committed to fair housing across our managed communities” for 45 years.

“It’s the principle that has guided us throughout our company’s history. All Peabody employees participate in comprehensive training to ensure that every team member exemplifies our mission to ‘put the home in housing’ in an equitable, inclusive manner,” the company said.