Finding an apartment should be about the rent, location, and whether the bathroom looks like it survived a natural disaster.
Unfortunately, Lisa Renee Olaso and her fiancée, Cyril Christopher, say their apartment hunt in Queens turned into something far more upsetting.
The couple has filed a lawsuit against a real estate brokerage, an agent, and several property owners. They allege that a broker sent a text message referencing their race while they were trying to rent an apartment.
Yes, apparently, in 2026, some people still need a reminder that housing is not supposed to come with a side of discrimination.
UPDATE: The couple's attorney, Kenneth Mollins, says Douglas Elliman has fired the real estate agent.
##A Long Island couple is suing after they said they received a text message from a real estate agent while searching for an apartment in Queens that said, “ugh they are… pic.twitter.com/nW8UxNvVxr
— 1010 WINS on 92.3 FM (@1010WINS) October 22, 2026
According to the couple, the broker never met them in person and instead saw them from a distance. Olaso said she was accidentally included on a text message intended for the property owner.
😲"UGH THEY ARE BLACK" 😠 The Text the Couple Received by Mistake from the Realtor as they got out of their Car while Searching for a Rental unit.
😕YIKES! Huge Mistake but glad that it came out. Because sure there were other renters/buyers that were discriminated against??😒sure… pic.twitter.com/wFJnMdERXA— American Crime Stories™ (@AmericanCrime01) October 23, 2026
“As we were getting out of the car, I received the text message that said, ‘Ugh. They are Black,'” Olaso said.
Olaso said she immediately told Christopher to get back in the car. She then explained to the broker why.
The case highlights a bigger issue in the housing market. Renting an apartment can already feel like an Olympic sport.
The last thing anyone should have to worry about is whether their race will affect their chances of finding a home.
“When she looked at her phone, she started to explain that there were previous, Black tenants in the neighborhood and that they had caused a lot of trouble,” Olaso said.
The couple is suing Douglas Elliman Realty, Tzelios and several people listed as owners of the property. Their attorney, Kenneth Mollins, argued that the text message did not occur in isolation.
“Unless the person receiving the text gets it in some context to know, why she’s sending that. So, we believe the homeowner was in some way responsible here,” Mollins said.
For Olaso and Christopher, this is now about more than finding an apartment. It is about challenging what they say happened and seeking justice.
In a statement provided Wednesday, a Douglas Elliman spokesperson said: “Douglas Elliman has a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination of any kind, and the agent is no longer with the company.”
Messages were also left for the homeowners and the broker.
Christopher said the experience was painful.
“It’s like judging a book by its cover. You haven’t even read the book, and you already made a judgement call,” he said.
Olaso said the broker apologized, but the incident continues to affect her.
“But it doesn’t change the pain. It doesn’t take away the pain that you caused us that day,” Olaso said.
Hopefully, the legal process brings clarity and accountability, because apartment hunting is stressful enough without discrimination allegedly showing up in the group chat.
