- posted: Aug. 01, 2020
I’m worried about finding another apartment if my landlord sues me. Is there still such a thing as a Tenant Blacklist?
#outerbridgelaw #nyc #landlordtenantattorneys
#photocred: Anne Nygard
A tenant blacklist, or a publicly available list of tenants who were involved in housing court proceedings in New York City, was once something to fear. Landlords used these lists to weed out potential tenants, without even bothering to ask why it was that tenants went to court.
Having your name on a blacklist may not have completely run you out of town, but it might have killed your chances of obtaining at least some apartments for which you would have otherwise qualified.
What is the current state of the law? Don’t worry, be happy!
In 2019, the New York Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act (“HSTPA”) dealt a significant blow to the use of tenant blacklists. Under the law, an owner or landlord cannot deny a rental application based on whether or not a tenant went to housing court. It is the owner or landlord’s burden to show that there was another reason that the tenant was denied the apartment. If an owner or landlord denies an application after having investigated a tenant’s involvement in housing court, they are presumed to have unfairly denied the tenant’s application.
Also, the Attorney General also has the power to investigate and prosecute this behavior, but unfortunately, there is no avenue for a tenant to directly sue the potential landlord.
This is a big victory for tenants who would think twice about being sued in housing court to vindicate their rights.
#attorneyad #priorresultsnotguarantees Outerbridge Law P.C. 212-364-5593
