Public Shaming of Rent Deadbeat Tenants

[BugsyPal]

Originally Posted by LOVEROFNYC

NYC politicians passed laws to suppress public records of past evictions. But it is not hard to suss out these deadbeats without eviction records.

I don't just look for tenants with no evictions. I look for tenants who pay their rents on time. So for me I am able to find the evicted.

No, they did not. Best city has done is to stop Office of Court Administration (OCA) from including names and addresses of daily electronic feeds. Even armed with just an index number you can still easily match things up.

Public records are just that, and by USC and state constitutions public have broad rights to view such information. Some things can be withheld in whole or part (sealed), but reasons must out weigh public good of being allowed access. Adoption records are routinely sealed. Civil court records can be also sealed pending motion to court.

https://www.karldowdenlaw.com/2019-n...e-housing-law/


What city did do is tell landlords involved in "low income/affordable" housing projects that they cannot reject applicants merely because their names show up in housing court records. State rent overhaul of 2019 made this cover all NYS rentals. However penalties are comparatively laughably low when you consider exposure to a deadbeat tenant.

"Landlords are not permitted to reject potential tenants based on that potential tenant’s involvement in prior landlord/tenant litigation. If a landlord obtains a tenant screening report (i.e. a background/credit check) and the landlord subsequently reject the potential tenant, there is a rebuttable presumption that the landlord violated this law. The New York State Attorney General can prosecute violations and issue a fine of $500 to $1,000 for each violation."

https://www.karldowdenlaw.com/2019-n...e-housing-law/

Deadbeat or chronic problem tenants are like vermin; once they get in are very difficult to get rid of easily, and either way it will cost. A fine of $1,000 compared to three, four, or more months of lost rent (nonpayment) or other actions that cause LL to bring legal actions is a good trade off IMHO.


You should also know outside few liberal, socialist, progressive hippy-dippy states/local governments such insane laws don't exist. Someone with a housing court record in NY will find they will have problems renting nearly every where else in USA aside from a few select areas.

[nygeek]

I don't get the point of the banner. Maybe 50 years ago, the people who live there might be embarrassed but today it's a funny photo for social media and most people probably laugh or think "sucks for the landlord" but don't particularly care or pass any judgment on the tenants.

What does the landlord gain from the banner? It's not like anyone reading it can make the people pay. People have no shame anymore so the tenants probably find it amusing as well.

[LOVEROFNYC]

Originally Posted by NotInNYC

Does anybody feel stupid for paying rent for 2 years? I do. Two years of rent is a small fortune.

Something tells me that certain racial groups (black and brown) who did not pay rent will completely get away with it, and other groups (white and Asian) will be targeted to pay back rent. That would be NYC for you.

If they did not pay rent, saved up and bought a house sure they played smart. Very few employed this strategy. Most just simply stopped paying rent. Most did not save this money.

Now they have to waste 2 years answering summons from housing court, taking time off to go to court, stressing out about being evicted. Having terrible relationship with their landlord. Hoping their landlord won't stick this back rent on their credit report. And if they get evicted they pretty much eliminated half the rental property available on the market as future rentals.

So while everyone will be back to somewhat normal living they just plummeted their life into a world of chaos.

While the politicians who encouraged it continue to pay their rent, enjoy their apartment/housing/good credit and count on the suckers to vote for them.

[Esacni]

Originally Posted by LOVEROFNYC

If they did not pay rent, saved up and bought a house sure they played smart. Very few employed this strategy. Most just simply stopped paying rent. Most did not save this money.

Now they have to waste 2 years answering summons from housing court, taking time off to go to court, stressing out about being evicted. Having terrible relationship with their landlord. Hoping their landlord won't stick this back rent on their credit report. And if they get evicted they pretty much eliminated half the rental property available on the market as future rentals.

So while everyone will be back to somewhat normal living they just plummeted their life into a world of chaos.

While the politicians who encouraged it continue to pay their rent, enjoy their apartment/housing/good credit and count on the suckers to vote for them.

Do you really believe that? Can you even imagine the backlog in housing court? Many people moved when the eviction moratorium ended. So you think the LLs will.go after them for rent in a court that's backlogged for 2+ years?

If you think tenants who didn't pay rent for 2 years care about their "relationship" with their LL then you're truly out to pasture.

[Kefir King]

Originally Posted by 1200RT

Evictions are public record.

L:ike your "public record" in high school. "A tale full of sound and fury, signifying NOTHING."

[BugsyPal]

Originally Posted by LOVEROFNYC

If they did not pay rent, saved up and bought a house sure they played smart. Very few employed this strategy. Most just simply stopped paying rent. Most did not save this money.

Now they have to waste 2 years answering summons from housing court, taking time off to go to court, stressing out about being evicted. Having terrible relationship with their landlord. Hoping their landlord won't stick this back rent on their credit report. And if they get evicted they pretty much eliminated half the rental property available on the market as future rentals.

So while everyone will be back to somewhat normal living they just plummeted their life into a world of chaos.

While the politicians who encouraged it continue to pay their rent, enjoy their apartment/housing/good credit and count on the suckers to vote for them.

It does not take two years.... Far as Manhattan housing court is concerned they are locked and loaded.

Those who owed back rent and not protected by signing up for that emergency aid were served with three day notices not long after moratorium expired. Everything else went pretty much like clockwork; if people didn't pay up proceedings were commenced, papers served, etc...

Know this because have seen more than a handful of notices from housing court slapped on various UES buildings in my area. Also know from friends people who bailed shortly after moratorium ended were getting summonses and other notices slapped on apartment front doors, and or sent by mail. Since previous tenants have moved that mail ends up somewhere in lobby marked "return to sender".


https://gothamist.com/news/number-of...aid-skyrockets

https://gothamist.com/news/tenants-t...ithout-lawyers

Justice delayed is justice denied, so courts have no choice but to begin not only clearing two year backlog, but also calendaring and docketing with current cases.

Good number of households that ran game for one or two years when state stopped evictions are now running out of their apartments. It is what the eff it is... They ran up huge back rent amounts that have really no way of paying. Even for those that qualify for federal or whatever emergency rental assistance that money is only up to one year of back rent. This leaves said people still on hook for considerable sums.