City of New York
The Civil Court of City of New York has a division for landlord and tenant cases. Its computer system tracks the all the cases filed in this court. In the counties of New York and Kings, the clerk of the court has made these terminals accessible to the public to do research. Bronx, Queens, and Richmond counties have these systems but as of publication, do not have terminals available to the public. In these counties, clerks will search the computer for you, but avoid the A.M. as they are then very busy.
Housing Court Information SystemScreen A is the main menu screen for the Housing Court Information System. The only options available to the public are functions 7 & 8. Function 7 is used when you already have an index number of a case and need to check the computer for calendar dates and other information. Function 8 lets you search the computer by Petitioner (usually the landlord) or by Respondent (usually the tenant). To access either of these two functions, enter the corresponding line number on the "CMD______" field and press return. The first function detailed is function 8, case history. After you have entered "8" on the "CMD" line, press return. The cursor will now be in the "Index No:" field. Enter the index number using preceding zeros for six digits and the year (last two digits only), and press enter. Screen B will appear with all the information about the case. If the index number is entered incorrectly or a case does not exist with that index number, the computer will read "CASE NOT ON FILE".
Screen B is a case history of the landlord & tenant action. All information relating to the case is displayed on the screen including case number (087459/93), parties (4th Management Group vs. Greunwald), rent due ($2,130.00), petitioner attorney (Smith, Tierney & DeLorme), and the filing dates. Also included is that the case involved nonpayment of rent for a residence. If more information is available, press "PF8" to get to the next screen. The next option explained is function 7, multiple case select. This function allows you to search the computer by petitioner or by respondent. To get back to the main menu from any screen, press PF12. From the main menu, enter a "7" on the "CMD______" field and press Enter. Housing Court Screen C will appear. Enter an "8" on the CMD line and press return. The cursor will now be on the "Respondent" line. Enter a name, using last name first for individuals, or you can tab down to the petitioner line and do the same. After you have entered information on one line, press enter.
Housing court screen D will appear listing in alphabetical order names starting with the name that was entered on Screen C. To expand a line and retrieve more information on the case, tab down to the line corresponding to the case, type an "X" and press enter. The case history will appear just like screen B. To get back to the main menu, press "PF12".
By using this computer, a researcher can find previous non payment cases filed against a prospective tenant. Or, if you are considering purchasing a building, you can run the owner¹s name and see if any HPD cases are found.
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Copyright © Reyn Inc. And Fred D. Knapp
