What can a landlord check about me in New York City?
Most things, but not where your income comes from.
Why, and the exact law
Social Security and help like Section 8 vouchers can't be used against you.
From N.Y. Exec. Law § 296(5), read Oct 6, 2026.Show the law
“New York State landlords are prohibited from discriminating against tenants based on lawful source of income, which includes income from social security or any form of federal, state, or local public assistance including Section 8 vouchers …”
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Every rule here, word for word (3)
State law applies here too. Where both cover a rental, the stricter city rule usually wins; each rule below says so.
New York lawIn force
Source-of-income discrimination ban
What can a landlord check about me?
Most things, but not where your income comes from.
Social Security and help like Section 8 vouchers can't be used against you.
The law, word for word
“New York State landlords are prohibited from discriminating against tenants based on lawful source of income, which includes income from social security or any form of federal, state, or local public assistance including Section 8 vouchers …”
N.Y. Exec. Law § 296(5) · ag.ny.gov · Retrieved Oct 6, 2026
New York lawIn force
Tenant blacklist ban (past landlord-tenant disputes)
What can a landlord check about me?
Most things, but not past court cases with landlords.
A landlord can't turn you down because you had a legal conflict with a landlord before.
The law, word for word
“A landlord cannot deny a tenant applicant an apartment, rental home, or any other type of rental based on a past legal conflict with a landlord …”
N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 227-f · ag.ny.gov · Retrieved Oct 6, 2026
No other rule found
Provided documents show only state-level screening restrictions (source-of-income, tenant blacklist); NYC Human Rights Law is only cross-referenced without stated operative requirements, so no NYC-level record can be extracted.
The law, word for word
“New York State landlords are prohibited from discriminating against tenants based on lawful source of income, which includes income from social security or any form of federal, state, or local public assistance including Section 8 vouchers …”