What's happening
This bill prohibits landlords and real estate agents from denying housing or services to individuals based on their involvement in past or current landlord-tenant legal actions, except when court orders remain unsatisfied.
Why it matters
Protects tenants from discrimination based on their participation in landlord-tenant court cases. , helping to ensure that simply defending their rights or being party to legal disputes does not jeopardize their future access to housing.
Reduces the power of so-called “tenant blacklists,”. which are often used by landlords and real estate agents to automatically deny applicants who have been involved in previous eviction proceedings, regardless of the circumstances or outcomes.
Allows exceptions only for unsatisfied court orders,. meaning landlords can still deny housing if a tenant owes money or has not complied with a court-ordered obligation, striking a balance between tenant protections and legitimate landlord interests.
Expands anti-discrimination protections to both publicly-assisted and private housing,. ensuring broad application of these rules and potentially increasing housing stability for vulnerable populations who might otherwise be unfairly excluded.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Ban Tenant Blacklists
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Referred to housing
- Referred to housing
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1568
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 10, 2025
Introduced by M. of A. ROSENTHAL, DINOWITZ, HEVESI, GLICK, COLTON, FORREST -- read once and referred to the Committee on Housing
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to a tenant blacklist
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 296 of the executive law is amended by adding a new paragraph (a-1) to read as follows:
(a-1) It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for the owner, lessee, sublessee, assignee, or managing agent of publicly-assisted housing accommodations or other person having the right of ownership or possession of or the right to rent or lease such accommodations to refuse to sell, rent or lease or otherwise deny or to withhold from any person or group of persons such a housing accommodation on the basis that such person or group of persons were involved in past, ongoing or current landlord-tenant action or summary proceeding emanating from article seven of the real property law, except where the tenant or group of tenants have not satisfied the order.
§ 2. Subdivision 3-b of section 296 of the executive law, as separately amended by chapters 202 and 748 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows:
3-b. It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for any real estate broker, real estate salesperson or employee or agent thereof or any other individual, corporation, partnership or organization for the purpose of inducing a real estate transaction from which any such person or any of its stockholders or members may benefit financially, to represent that a change has occurred or will or may occur in the composition with respect to race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military status, sex, disability, past, ongoing or current landlordtenant action or summary proceeding emanating from article seven of the real property law, marital status, status as a victim of domestic
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04452-01-5
violence, or familial status of the owners or occupants in the block, neighborhood or area in which the real property is located, and to represent, directly or indirectly, that this change will or may result in undesirable consequences in the block, neighborhood or area in which the real property is located, including but not limited to the lowering of property values, an increase in criminal or anti-social behavior, or a decline in the quality of schools or other facilities.
§ 3. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 5 of section 296 of the executive law is amended by adding a new subparagraph 1-a to read as follows:
(1-a) It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for the owner, lessee, sublessee, assignee, or managing agent of, or any other person having the right to sell, rent or lease a housing accommodation, constructed or to be constructed, or any agent or employee thereof, to refuse to sell, rent or lease or otherwise deny or to withhold from any person or group of persons such a housing accommodation on the basis that such person or group of persons were involved in past, ongoing or current landlord-tenant action or summary proceeding emanating from article seven of the real property law, except where the tenant or group of tenants have not satisfied the order.
§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.