NY State Screening & Renting Laws

[Alex Leana]

Today I listed my available apartment on Facebook Marketplace for the first time and got an exponential number of responses within 2 hours. My price is fair for the quality and neighborhood, my main questions lie with what the screening and renting laws are in Buffalo or New York State. Any help with these questions would be much appreciated.

Questions:

Can I deny someone based on section 8? If not, how does the process work? First time landlord, so I would like to avoid it if it is not illegal.

What documentation do you require for service animals?

If I am using cozy.co for background/credit check, do they pay for the entirety of the cost? Since I am not technically taking the application fee and NYS law limits the total application fee a landlord can accept.