| Entities | New York City (10) |
| Topics and Issues | Background checks (75) |
In January 2024, The New York City Council passed a bill, Intro. 0632-2022 to limit landlords’ consideration of applications with criminal records. According to the official summary, the bill
would prohibit housing discrimination on the basis of criminal history, with limited exceptions. Landlords, owners, brokers and other covered entities may not consider criminal record until after determining a housing applicant’s other qualifications. Covered entities may consider registered sex offenses as well as misdemeanors and felonies for 3 and 5 years, respectively, after completion of a prison sentence. If an applicant is rejected because of this reviewable criminal history, the entity must provide a written explanation for why the rejection was due to a legitimate business interest. This bill would not apply where federal, state or local laws, including laws protecting victims of domestic violence, sex offenses or stalking, require or permit exclusion based on criminal history. This bill does not apply to two-family owner-occupied housing or rooms in owner-occupied housing. Covered entities would not be liable under other laws for complying with this law.
The bill, first introduced in 2022, was sponsored by nearly 30 of the council’s 50 members and had the support of the borough presidents of The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens.