August 23, 2010
STATE BAR ASSOCIATION NEW RADIO CAMPAIGN EDUCATES NEW
YORK CITY RESIDENTS ON TENANT RIGHTS
Radio Ads in English and Spanish to Run Through
Oct. 17 Help Guard Against Possible Blacklisting by
Landlords
ALBANY— The New York State Bar Association today unveiled a new
radio campaign to educate New York City residents about their rights in
New York City Housing Courts. The ads have a dual purpose: to alert New
Yorkers that landlords have access to Housing Court records, which can
then be used to screen prospective tenants, and to inform tenants of
their rights regarding the use of that material.
Recorded by State Bar President Stephen P. Younger of New York
(Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP) – in both English and
Spanish – the ads continue a long tradition of educating the
public on legal issues that can impact their daily lives.
In the ad, President Younger warns, “Getting a rental apartment
in New York City can be tough. Did you know that information about cases
you have had in housing court is publicly available? Did you know that
landlords can use this against you when you’re trying to rent an
apartment? This is true even if you were brought into court through no
fault of your own. If you have had trouble renting an apartment
because of a past housing court case, you might be able to correct
errors in your record. Also, under the Tenant Fair Chance Act, landlords
must tell you if they are using a tenant screening company and which
company they are using. For more information, please call
212-962-4795. Or visit www.housingcourtanswers.org.
You can also find helpful tips and resources by accessing the “For
the Community” page of the State Bar’s website, located at
www.nysba.org.”
Younger explained, “This radio campaign is designed to educate New
Yorkers that landlords have access to certain Housing Court information
that can have a real and sometimes unfair impact on a person’s
ability to get an affordable apartment. We want tenants to know that
there are limits on how and when that information is used. The campaign
also shows the public how to access helpful resources through the State
Bar as well as other legal aid organizations.”
In addition to the radio spots, the State Bar also launched a new
education program through The People’s Law School initiative
titled “Tenant Blacklisting in New York City,” produced by
the Association. The 75-minute seminar – available online –
gives an overview of the rights, obligations and remedies of landlords
and tenants when landlords acquire and use tenant screening reports to
make rental decisions. The program can be viewed at: www.nysba.org/tenantblacklistinginNYC.
The NCSA (Non-Commercial Sustaining Announcements) spots were
produced and distributed in coordination with the New York Market Radio
Association as part of a broader initiative to educate lawyers and the
public about tenant rights. The spots will run from August 23rd through
October 17th. It is anticipated that the spots will air several thousand
times on New York City radio stations during the eight-week
campaign.
The full 30- and 60-second spots, in English and Spanish can be
accessed below:
www.nysba.org/english30mp3
www.nysba.org/spanish30mp3
www.nysba.org/english60mp3
www.nysba.org/spanish60mp3
The education initiative stems from a $1.2 million settlement
approved last year in a 2004 case, White v. First Advantage SafeRent,
Inc. (04 CV 01611). The case’s class action alleged that the
defendant company issued thousands of tenant screening reports to
prospective landlords that violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the
New York Fair Credit Reporting Act and the New York Deceptive Practices
Act by failing to accurately, completely and clearly disclose
information about Housing Court cases brought against New York City
tenants. Part of the settlement of the case is funding tenant screening
and awareness programs.
The settlement funds were distributed to The New York Bar Foundation,
which in turn provides funding through its grant-making program for
projects to be conducted by The Legal Aid Society, Legal Services NYC,
City-Wide Task Force on Housing Court, Neighborhood Economic Development
Advocacy Project and the New York State Bar Association.
Founded in 1876, the 77,000-member New York State Bar Association is
the official statewide organization of lawyers in New York and the
largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. The State
Bar’s programs and activities have continuously served the public
and improved the justice system for more than 130 years. For more
information, visit us at our website at www.nysba.org.
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