New Yorkers applying for affordable apartments now have the choice to avoid credit checks
The Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the Housing Development Corporation announced today major changes to HPD’s affordable housing lottery application that will further increase access for a wide range of New Yorkers to qualify for affordable housing. The expanded guidelines will have an immediate impact for some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers, offering the option to show positive rental history instead of submitting to credit checks, or provide their own credit checks, and allowing for additional occupants per unit.
“For too long, families without access to credit have faced barriers to the affordable housing they need. By allowing New Yorkers to submit rental history instead of credit checks, we are creating a fairer system for all New Yorkers,” said Mayor de Blasio.
“We will continue to challenge the practices that have perpetuated inequality and injustice for decades. These new changes, paired with the grassroots work we’re doing with the Where We Live NYC initiative, are moving the needle toward our goal to make New York the fairest big city in the country,” said HPD Commissioner Louise Carroll.
The new policies reduce the chances of a tenant being denied a unit due to poor credit history, with the introduction of the option for applicants to provide 12 months of positive rent payment history rather than a landlord-initiated credit check. This change also paves the way for applicants to apply for affordable housing without the need to provide a Social Security Number or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number for every adult in the household. The policy updates also lower credit check fees to sync with the new State rent laws, which limit credit check fees to $20 per application, and lets applicants avoid fees altogether by providing a recent credit check to the landlord.
