Valatie, N.Y., Code of Ordinances ch. 198 (eCode360 ed. 2026) § 198-6
Exemptions
Operative Text
A. Sales/rentals by owners. Nothing in § 198-3 , other than Subsection C , shall apply to: (1) Any single-family house sold or rented by an owner, provided that such private individual owner does not own more than three such single-family houses at any one time; provided, further, that in the case of the sale of any such single-family house by a private individual owner not residing in such house at the time of such sale, or who was not the recent resident of such house prior to such sale, the exemption granted by this subsection shall apply only with respect to one such sale within any twenty-four month period; provided further, that such bona fide private individual owner does not own any interest in, nor is there owned or reserved on his behalf under any express or voluntary agreement, title to any right to all or a portion of the proceeds from the sale or rental of more than three such single-family houses at one time; and provided, further, that the sale or rental of any such single-family house shall be excepted from the application of this article only if such house is sold or rented without the use in any manner of the sales or rental facilities or the sales or rental services of any real estate broker, agent or salesman, or of such facilities or services of any person in the business of selling or renting dwellings, or of any employee or agent of any such broker, agent, salesman or person, and without the publication, posting or mailing, after notice, of any advertisement or written notice in violation of § 198-3 of this chapter; but nothing in this proviso shall prohibit the use of attorneys, escrow agents, abstractors, title companies and other such professional assistance as may be necessary to perfect or transfer the title. (2) Rooms or units in dwellings containing living quarters occupied or intended to be occupied by no more than four families living independently of each other, if the owner actually maintains and occupies one of such living quarters as his residence. (3) For the purpose of this exemption, a person shall be deemed to be in the business of selling or renting dwellings if: (a) He has, within the preceding 12 months, participated as principal in three or more transactions involving the sale or rental of any dwelling or any interest therein; (b) He has, within the preceding 12 months, participated as agent, other than in sale of his own personal residence, in providing sales or rental facilities or sales or rental services in two or more transactions involving the sale or rental of any dwelling or any interest therein; or (c) He is the owner of any dwelling designed or intended for occupancy by, or occupied by, five or more families. B. Sales/rentals by religious organizations. Nothing in this article shall prohibit a religious organization, association or society, or any nonprofit institution or organization operated, supervised or controlled by or in conjunction with a religious organization, association or society, from limiting the sale, rental or occupancy of dwellings which it owns or operates for other than a commercial purpose to persons of the same religion or from giving preference to such persons, unless membership in such religion is restricted on account of race, color, sex or national origin. Nor shall anything in this article prohibit a private club not in fact open to the public, which as an incident to its primary purpose or purposes provides lodgings which it owns or operates for other than a commercial purpose, from limiting the rental or occupancy of such lodgings to its members or from giving preference to its members.
Section 198-6 of Valatie, N.Y., Code of Ordinances ch. 198 carves out specific situations where the fair-housing obligations of § 198-3 do not apply. Private individual owners of no more than three single-family homes may be exempt from those requirements when selling or renting without the assistance of a real estate broker or agent and without posting discriminatory advertisements, subject to additional conditions on how often and under what circumstances the exemption applies. Religious organizations and private clubs that provide housing for non-commercial purposes may also limit occupancy to members of their religion or club, as long as membership itself is not restricted based on race, color, sex, or national origin.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners and managers in Valatie should understand that § 198-6 sets precise, narrow conditions for any exemption from the anti-discrimination rules in § 198-3. A private individual owner who qualifies—owning no more than three single-family homes, conducting the transaction without a broker or agent, and avoiding any prohibited advertising—may fall within the exemption, but operators who own interests in more than three such properties, use professional real estate services, or post discriminatory notices generally do not qualify. Operators affiliated with religious organizations or private clubs should also carefully review the non-commercial-purpose and membership-restriction conditions outlined in § 198-6B before relying on those exemptions.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under § 198-6 of Valatie's Code of Ordinances ch. 198, certain landlords and sellers may claim exemptions from the fair-housing protections of § 198-3, but those exemptions are conditional and limited in scope. Tenants or prospective buyers who believe an exemption is being claimed improperly—for example, by an owner who used a real estate broker, owns more than three single-family homes, or posted a discriminatory advertisement—may have grounds to challenge that claim. Tenant-rights organizations and local or state fair-housing agencies can be resources for understanding whether a claimed exemption under § 198-6 is valid in a given context.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 10, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
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Rules and statutes that cite this regulation