How do housing court records affect my credit report? (NYC)

Sometimes housing records show up on your credit report or in tenant screening reports.

How to prevent a housing court judgment from showing up on your credit report:

When you are making a payment agreement, make sure it says: “Upon payment, the judgment will be vacated.” That way, after you pay, you can have the judgment removed. If you are confused, ask the judge or the court attorney for help with this.

You should also push for it to say: “Upon payment, the judgment will be vacated and the petition discontinued with prejudice. Petitioner agrees to have the record expunged from the tenant screening report.” This prevents the housing court case from appearing in your tenant screening report. Landlords sometimes use these to screen potential tenants.  

How to remove a housing court judgment that is already in your credit report:

If you have paid the arrears (what you owed), you can try to vacate (get rid of) the housing court judgment. If the judgment is vacated, you can file with the credit reporting agencies to get it deleted from your credit report.