Prohibits landlords or their agents from inquiring or requiring disclosure about citizenship or immigration status, requiring specific immigration documentation to be presented, disclosing immigration or citizenship status to third parties, or threatening to report a tenant's citizenship or immigration status in retaliation for asserting their rights.
S09490 amends the New York State Human Rights Law, specifically the housing discrimination provisions in the executive law, to make it an unlawful discriminatory practice for landlords, lessors, managing agents, and their employees or agents to ask about a tenant’s citizenship or immigration status, require disclosure of that status, demand specific immigration documents such as a green card as the only acceptable identification, disclose a tenant’s status to third parties except when required by court order, or threaten to report a tenant to immigration authorities in retaliation for asserting legal rights. The bill is aimed at preventing immigration-status-based harassment and discrimination in housing.
The bill also clarifies that landlords may still verify identity and conduct otherwise lawful tenant screening, so long as they do not impose heightened requirements based on citizenship or immigration status. In addition, it preserves compliance with federal rules for federally subsidized housing programs where citizenship or immigration-status verification may be required. The measure takes effect immediately upon enactment.
The bill would expand the scope of prohibited housing discrimination under section 296 of the executive law by adding explicit protections related to citizenship and immigration status. It would affect housing providers, landlords, property managers, and their agents by limiting what information they may request, retain, disclose, or use in tenant screening and retaliation. At the same time, it preserves lawful identity verification and federal housing-program compliance, so it does not eliminate all immigration-related screening in contexts where federal law requires it.
No committee transcript or vote record is available, so there is no documented floor or committee debate to gauge support or opposition. Based on the bill text and caption, the measure appears to be framed as a tenant-protection and anti-discrimination bill, suggesting a generally protective posture toward immigrant renters and housing access. The absence of recorded votes or discussion means the public sentiment in the legislative record cannot be determined from the provided materials.
The main potential point of contention is the balance between anti-discrimination protections and landlords’ ability to verify identity and screen tenants. Supporters would likely emphasize preventing intimidation, retaliation, and discriminatory treatment of immigrants and noncitizens in housing, while opponents or skeptics may focus on administrative burdens, documentation practices, or concerns about compliance with federal housing rules. The bill addresses this tension by expressly allowing standard lawful screening and federally required verification, but disputes could still arise over what counts as a heightened requirement or improper inquiry.