If you are denied an apartment, ask why.
If the landlord denied you because of information from a credit report or a tenant screening report, he or she is required to tell you the name and address of the company.
This is called an adverse action notice. You can send a copy of the adverse action notice to the credit reporting company or tenant screening bureau to get a free copy of your report. Check it to make sure it is accurate. Sometimes reports have mistakes or inaccurate information. You can challenge any inaccurate or misleading information.
Once you get the copy of the screening report, look at it to see if the listing is a mistake (for example, you are John Doe who used to live at 560 Ditmars Blvd and they have listed a John Doe at 506 Flatbush Ave). If so you must write to the screening company and ask that they correct the mistake. If the report is not complete or accurate, you can also write and ask that the report reflect what happened in the case.
The screening company has 30 days to comply under the federal law. Housing Court cases can appear for seven years after the case was filed.