New York Eviction Record Sealing — How to Clear It (2026)

✓ Law Verified August 2026

A New York eviction record can block apartment applications for years — often regardless of how the case actually ended. This guide answers the question directly for New York: whether a sealing law exists here, exactly how to use it if it does, and the real alternatives if it does not. Verified against official New York sources as of August 2026.

No New York Eviction Record Sealing Law Yet — What You Can Still Do

New York has no statute that seals or erases an eviction filing, so the practical goal is to change what the record says and to control how it is used.

Many tenants can (1) move to vacate a default judgment if they never got notice of the case or missed the court date for a good reason — file an Order to Show Cause with a supporting affidavit in the Housing Court or the local City, Town, District, or Village Court where the case was heard, using the free NY Courts DIY “Tenant Affidavit to Vacate a Default Judgment” program

for New York City cases;

a granted motion restores the case and can lead to a dismissal or a better outcome that you can show screeners; (2) ask the court to vacate or amend a judgment under CPLR 5015 for excusable default, newly discovered evidence, fraud, or lack of jurisdiction, and check with your court about the time limits that apply to your grounds;

(3) appeal an adverse final judgment within the appeal deadline for your court, since a reversal changes the disposition on the docket;

(4) negotiate before the case ends — in nonpayment cases many tenants can pay the arrears and get the landlord to file a Notice of Satisfaction, or negotiate a so-ordered stipulation that discontinues or dismisses the proceeding rather than entering a possessory judgment, which is far cheaper and easier than fixing the record later;

(5) get and keep certified copies of any dismissal, discontinuance, satisfaction of judgment, or vacatur order and send them to the screening companies in an FCRA dispute so the report matches the docket; (6) add a written consumer statement to your screening file explaining the outcome; (7) rely on Real Property Law 227-f if a landlord tells you the denial was based on your court history;

and (8) get free help — call a legal services provider, or if you are in New York City ask about the Right to Counsel program, which gives many income-eligible tenants a free lawyer in Housing Court. No result is guaranteed; whether a judgment can be vacated depends on your facts and on the judge.

Why A New York Eviction Record Follows You — and For How Long

An eviction case becomes a public court record the day it is filed — even if you won, even if it was dismissed, even if you moved out voluntarily before the hearing. Tenant screening companies copy these records in bulk and resell them to landlords, which is how a New York eviction record from years ago can quietly sink a rental application today.

Under federal reporting rules these records generally stop appearing on screening reports after seven years, but the public court file itself can remain searchable far longer unless it is sealed.

That is why the filing itself, not just the outcome, is what matters — and why sealing laws are spreading state by state. Most landlords never read the court file; they read the one-line summary a screening company sells them. Getting the New York eviction record sealed, corrected, or accurately described is what changes that one line.

Check Your New York Eviction Record First

Before filing anything, find out what your New York eviction record really looks like to a landlord. Search the online case index for the court where the eviction was filed, and request your file from the major tenant screening companies — you are entitled to it.

Tenants are often surprised in both directions: some discover the case they worry about was never reported, others find a case they had forgotten, or one that is not even theirs.

Knowing exactly what appears, and how it is described, tells you whether to pursue sealing, a dispute, or both.

Screening reports are also where errors live. A dismissed case reported as an eviction, an old address matched to the wrong person, or a paid judgment still shown as owing are all fixable — and fixing the report is sometimes faster than any court process in New York.

Your Federal Rights Against Tenant Screening Companies

New York tenants are covered by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, which applies to tenant screening companies the same way it applies to credit bureaus. If a screening report shows an eviction case that is wrong, was dismissed, was decided in your favor, was vacated, or is too old, you may dispute it directly with the screening company.

Send the dispute in writing, keep a copy, and attach proof — a court printout, a stipulation of settlement, a notice of satisfaction, a decision dismissing the case, or an order vacating the judgment.

Under 15 U.S.C. 1681i the screening company must reinvestigate and either correct or delete inaccurate or unverifiable information within 30 days of getting your dispute; that window extends to 45 days if you send additional documents during the initial 30-day period.

If information is changed or deleted, the company must send you written notice of the result within 5 business days of finishing, and must give you a free corrected copy of your file.

If a landlord denies you, raises your rent, or requires a larger deposit because of a screening report, that is an adverse action under 15 U.S.C. 1681m: the landlord must tell you and identify the screening company, and you are entitled to a free copy of that report from the company if you request it within 60 days.

Under 15 U.S.C. 1681c most civil judgments and other adverse items cannot be reported after 7 years.

Separately, New York Real Property Law 227-f makes it illegal for a landlord to refuse to rent to you because you were involved in a past or pending landlord-tenant court case, and creates a rebuttable presumption of violation if the landlord pulled a tenant screening report or checked court records and then refused you; the Attorney General may sue for 500 to 1000 per violation.

You can report suspected blacklisting to the New York Attorney General’s Housing Protection Unit.

Timing matters more than tenants expect. If you are apartment-hunting right now, start the screening-report disputes today — they run on federal deadlines and cost nothing — while any New York court process moves in parallel. If the move is months away, that is enough time for most sealing petitions, vacated judgments, or corrected reports to finish before a landlord ever pulls your New York eviction record.

Worth watching in New York: Sealing is pending, not law.

S9911 (2023-2024 session, Senators Hoylman-Sigal and Krueger, introduced September 13, 2024) would have sealed eviction court records 1 year after final judgment and exhaustion of appeals, with immediate sealing where the case was dismissed or the tenant won, and would have barred consumer reporting agencies and tenant screening bureaus from using or disclosing sealed records; it died in committee at the end of the 2024 session.

In the current 2025-2026 session, A6412 (introduced March 4, 2025) would seal eviction records only where the leased property was foreclosed upon, bar disclosure of that information, and impose fines of 1000 to 2000 per violation; A328 was the same measure in the prior session. S1615 (Senator Brisport, 2025-2026 session) would bar naming dependent children under 18 in eviction petitions and warrants and would seal records pertaining to those children.

None of these had been enacted as of August 20, 2026.

New York’s operating protection is Real Property Law 227-f, the 2019 Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act anti-blacklisting provision, which limits how the record may be used rather than sealing it. No statewide county pilot sealing program was verified — UNVERIFIED.

Official New York Sources & Resources

• New York Courts Self-Help: nycourts.gov/courthelp/Homes/beingEvicted.shtml
• New York Statute: nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/RPA/A7
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: hud.gov
• Cornell Legal Information Institute: law.cornell.edu/wex

Taking Control of Your New York Eviction Record

A New York eviction record is not a life sentence — it is a document, and documents can be sealed, corrected, or accurately explained. The tenants who struggle longest are usually the ones who never look at what their New York eviction record actually says, so start by pulling the court file and your screening reports.

Whether New York offers sealing or only the federal dispute route, acting on the New York eviction record beats hoping landlords will not check — they almost always do. A short, honest cover letter to a prospective landlord explaining the circumstances can also do real work while the record process runs.

This New York eviction record guide was last verified against official sources in August 2026. Sealing laws are changing fast — new states pass them every year, so re-check before relying on this page.

More New York Tenant Rights Guides

• New York Tenant Rights
• New York Eviction Process
• New York Security Deposit Law
• New York Rent Increase Laws
• New York Repairs & Habitability
• Breaking a Lease in New York
• Eviction Timeline Calculator
• All 50 States

Disclaimer: This guide is informational only and is not legal advice. Landlord-tenant laws change and vary by city and county within a state. Verify current rules with your state, your local court, or a free legal-aid office before acting. If you are facing eviction, contact a local tenant attorney or legal-aid organization right away.