{"id":16593,"date":"2022-12-02T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-02T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.renthop.com\/content-manager\/?p=16593"},"modified":"2023-07-22T11:36:24","modified_gmt":"2023-07-22T15:36:24","slug":"nyc-tenant-blacklist-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.renthop.com\/blog\/nyc-tenant-blacklist-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC Tenant Blacklist Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Finding a place to rent in New York City<\/a> is difficult, but some people have had a harder time than others. This can happen for a variety of reasons, but one of the things people most often blame is the tenant blacklist. Some renters think that landlords have a list of people not to rent apartments to, but how legitimate is this claim? Is there a tenant blacklist? If so, how do you end up on it? We have all these answers, and more, below.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

What is the Tenant Blacklist?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

First and foremost, the tenant blacklist is real\u2026sort of. See, the government keeps data of everyone with a history of delinquent payments and those who have ever gone to housing court. The government purchases this data<\/a> from different tenant screening companies. Landlords can utilize the data during the background check. There is no official blacklist, but landlords can view a tenant’s court history when they look them up.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Can Landlords Reject You Because of Your Housing Court History?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The short answer to this question is, \u201cno.\u201d However, it can get a bit more complicated than that. In 2019, NYC made it illegal for landlords to reject applications<\/a> based on a complicated housing court history or a bad relationship with a previous landlord. Landlords who reject applications for this reason can be fined up to $1000 if they are caught.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The issue is, it\u2019s hard to catch them. Landlords can just point out another reason to reject a renter, and housing court info is public. Even if a landlord does get caught rejecting applicants for going to housing court, they might just decide to pay the fine and keep doing it, knowing they can make that money back once they find a tenant they like. So what can be done?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Removing Your Name From a Housing Court Search<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

There are several ways to get your name removed from housing courts searches. For example, if you and your landlord get along well, part of the housing court settlement can be a tenant endorsement rather than a permanent stain on their record. This situation won\u2019t work for everyone, as taking a landlord to housing court usually means something has gone very wrong. However, it never hurts to bring it up as an option.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Additionally, if a legal battle is coming, have your lawyer contact your landlord’s lawyer, and have them list you under John or Jane Doe. This is totally legal, and will keep you anonymous in court records about your case. This might make looking up your case difficult later, but finding a home will make that annoyance worth it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Unfortunately, if you have already gone through housing court with your full name, you will just have to wait it out. There is an expiration date for your name to appear on housing court searches. The Fair Credit Reporting Act<\/a>, for example, erases housing court data after seven years. Many housing court searches in NYC won\u2019t include data that\u2019s older than five years. It\u2019s a long time to wait, but it will be erased eventually.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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