Mayor Supports Tenant Credit Checks Proposal in NYC

Mayor Zoran Mamdani is backing a new initiative aimed at requiring landlords in New York City to manage tenant credit checks differently.

The suggestions, presented in the administration’s recent Rental Rip-Off Report, would prevent landlords from requesting credit reports directly from applicants. Instead, they or their agents would be responsible for covering the cost of these screenings.

According to the report, “This could be a significant obstacle for tenants who are already struggling to pay rent (defined as spending at least 30% of their income), particularly those moving out of shelters or receiving rental assistance.”

The report was disclosed during a press conference where masked tenant activists described the evictions as “violence.”

Mamdani’s plan suggests that the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) should collaborate with the city council to establish a law. This law would allow landlords to either request a credit check (to be paid by the landlord or their agent) or ask for proof of income that meets a standard rent threshold of 40 times the monthly rent, but not both options.

The report asserts this approach would simplify the process for renters and minimize their financial burden.

Within its 68 pages, the report outlines ambitious proposals focused on tenants. Notable recommendations include legally recognizing tenant associations, directing the Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) to investigate all complaints of distress citywide, and mandating landlords to publish AI-generated or digitally altered images and videos of rental properties to prevent misleading representations.

This report stemmed from the Rental Rip-Off Hearing, where 2,300 tenants across five boroughs expressed their concerns about housing conditions and fees, urging City Hall for change.

Mamdani indicated that efforts are underway to secure legislative support for the ideas put forward in the report.

“We’re engaging with our partners, whether council members or not, on the necessity of ensuring this city finally has the tenant protections it should have had long ago,” Mamdani shared with reporters during the conference.

Shea Weaver, who leads the New York City Mayor’s Office of Tenant Protection, expressed her enthusiasm about the collaboration with Councilwoman Pierina Sanchez, the chair of the Housing and Buildings Committee.

Sanchez stated, “The administration has initiated a meaningful discussion with me regarding the report’s legislative suggestions, and I’m eager to actively participate in the legislative working group.”

The report’s unveiling took place at the Tenement Museum in the Lower East Side, where tenant activists condemned its findings with urgency.

Toni Marrero from the Hope Tenants Union, while wearing an N95 mask, labeled evictions as a form of “violence.” She highlighted, “Our city is turning a corner, fueled by tenants. The Mamdani administration is empowering us to no longer accept the brutality of daily evictions.”

Marrero recounted her own experiences with eviction, stating, “I survived three eviction cases. Unfortunately, I lost three friends to eviction, two of whom lived on my floor.”

In response, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis later tweeted a video of Marrero, referring to it as a “Theatre of the Absurd.”