Each New York City guide answers one question — eviction, deposit, repairs, rent, entry, habitability — with the local office and the New York chapter. We do not invent a local deadline.
State, city, and regulated housing are not the same pile
State law sets the baseline tenancy rules and the court process to recover possession. The Housing Maintenance Code is what HPD inspectors enforce — heat, pests, paint, locks. Rent-stabilized or rent-controlled status is a building-and-unit question administered by New York State Homes and Community Renewal. Do not assume your unit is regulated because the building is old, or unregulated because it is new.
Housing Court is a city court applying state procedure
Possession cases in the five boroughs are heard in NYC Housing Court. A landlord notice is not a judgment. Papers that name a court, a case number, or an appearance date mean a case has been filed. That is same-day legal-aid work.
What if I got a notice in New York City?
Read it for a court name, a case number, or an appearance date. A landlord notice is usually a step. Court papers mean a case has been filed in New York City Housing Court. Date it, photograph every page, and call legal aid the same day if a court is named. Do not guess the deadline from a national chart.
What if the unit is not livable?
Write the problem, date it, and keep photos. Open a request with NYC HPD — Tenant Bill of Rights or dial 311. An inspector’s dated notice is often worth more later than unanswered texts. Rent withholding and repair-and-deduct are New York questions — ask legal aid before you skip a payment.
What if the deposit did not come back?
The clock, the cap, and the itemization rules live mainly in New York law. HPD handles conditions. HCR handles whether a unit is rent-regulated. Housing Court handles possession. 311 is how you open a City service request. Those four are not interchangeable. Gather the lease, move-out photos, the forwarding address you gave, and any deduction list, then open the New York deposit page.
What if the rent went up?
A lease still in term is not the same as month-to-month. Whether New York City adds a local cap or just-cause rule is a coverage question — HPD handles conditions. HCR handles whether a unit is rent-regulated. Housing Court handles possession. 311 is how you open a City service request. Those four are not interchangeable. Keep the letter. Confirm the New York chapter and the City office before you treat a percentage you saw online as the law.
What if they keep coming in without notice?
Entry rules in New York City start with New York law and the lease. Emergencies, repairs, and showings are not always the same notice. Write the date and time. NYC HPD — Tenant Bill of Rights may take a complaint. This desk does not invent an hour-count.
What if heat, water, or the structure fails?
That is a habitability problem. Photograph it, write the date, and open a request with NYC HPD — Tenant Bill of Rights or 311. If it is dangerous tonight — a gas leak, no heat in winter, a collapsed ceiling — treat it as an emergency. Do not skip rent on a rumor.
Is my NYC apartment rent-stabilized?
Stabilization is a unit question, not a building rumor and not a borough rumor. New York State Homes and Community Renewal administers rent-regulated housing. HPD does not. Ask HCR about this address. Do not assume an old building is regulated, or a new one is not. This desk does not guess your status.
Who do I call in NYC — 311, HPD, HCR, or Housing Court?
They are four different doors. 311 opens a City service request. HPD inspects housing conditions. HCR answers whether a unit is rent-regulated. Housing Court hears possession cases. Calling the wrong one wastes the day you may not have. Match the paper in your hand to the door.
There is no heat or no hot water in my NYC apartment.
That is an HPD conditions problem. Photograph it, write the date, and open a 311 request. If it is dangerous tonight, treat it as an emergency. NYC publishes heat-season and hot-water rules on the Tenant Bill of Rights — we do not reprint the temperature or the hour-count here. Do not skip rent on a rumor.
Can my NYC landlord charge a broker fee?
New York City has additional rules on how broker fees may be charged, and they change. Confirm the current rule on the HPD Tenant Bill of Rights or with legal aid — this desk does not reprint a fee split. Keep every invoice. A fee you already paid is a paper trail, not a closed case.
Does Good Cause eviction apply to my NYC unit?
New York added a statewide overlay that limits some evictions and some increases — coverage is not every unit, and it is not a substitute for Housing Court procedure. Ask legal aid with your lease and the paper in your hand. Do not treat a social-media summary as the coverage map.
Official New York City offices
HPD handles conditions. HCR handles whether a unit is rent-regulated. Housing Court handles possession. 311 is how you open a City service request. Those four are not interchangeable. The New York chapter is New York landlord-tenant and summary-proceeding statutes (N.Y. Real Prop. Law Art. 7; Real Prop. Acts. and Proc. Law). We name it. We do not paraphrase a number out of it.
New York City renter questions
Can my landlord in New York City evict me without going to court?
No. Changing locks, shutting off utilities, or dumping belongings is not how possession is completed. New York City Housing Court is where those cases are heard. If the paper names a court, a case number, or an appearance date, call legal aid the same day. HPD handles conditions. HCR handles whether a unit is rent-regulated. Housing Court handles possession. 311 is how you open a City service request. Those four are not interchangeable.
How do I get my security deposit back in New York City?
Deposit caps, itemization, and return deadlines are usually New York questions — sometimes with a city overlay. Photograph the unit, return keys the way the lease requires, and keep a forwarding address. Confirm the chapter on the New York page. This desk does not reprint a dollar cap or a day-count.
Who inspects repairs in New York City?
NYC HPD — Tenant Bill of Rights is the local conditions door, and 311 is often how you open a request. Put the repair in writing first and keep photos. Do not skip rent on a rumor — ask legal aid before you change what you pay. HPD handles conditions. HCR handles whether a unit is rent-regulated. Housing Court handles possession. 311 is how you open a City service request. Those four are not interchangeable.
Does New York City have local rent rules on top of New York?
HPD handles conditions. HCR handles whether a unit is rent-regulated. Housing Court handles possession. 311 is how you open a City service request. Those four are not interchangeable.
Is my NYC apartment rent-stabilized?
Stabilization is a unit question, not a building rumor and not a borough rumor. New York State Homes and Community Renewal administers rent-regulated housing. HPD does not. Ask HCR about this address. Do not assume an old building is regulated, or a new one is not. This desk does not guess your status.
Who do I call in NYC — 311, HPD, HCR, or Housing Court?
They are four different doors. 311 opens a City service request. HPD inspects housing conditions. HCR answers whether a unit is rent-regulated. Housing Court hears possession cases. Calling the wrong one wastes the day you may not have. Match the paper in your hand to the door.
There is no heat or no hot water in my NYC apartment.
That is an HPD conditions problem. Photograph it, write the date, and open a 311 request. If it is dangerous tonight, treat it as an emergency. NYC publishes heat-season and hot-water rules on the Tenant Bill of Rights — we do not reprint the temperature or the hour-count here. Do not skip rent on a rumor.
Can my NYC landlord charge a broker fee?
New York City has additional rules on how broker fees may be charged, and they change. Confirm the current rule on the HPD Tenant Bill of Rights or with legal aid — this desk does not reprint a fee split. Keep every invoice. A fee you already paid is a paper trail, not a closed case.
Does Good Cause eviction apply to my NYC unit?
New York added a statewide overlay that limits some evictions and some increases — coverage is not every unit, and it is not a substitute for Housing Court procedure. Ask legal aid with your lease and the paper in your hand. Do not treat a social-media summary as the coverage map.
What number should I call in New York City?
Danger: 911. Mental-health crisis: 988. Local City services: 311. Court papers: LawHelp.org the same day. NYC HPD — Tenant Bill of Rights does not replace legal aid when a case is filed.
National answers on this desk
Last reviewed 8 September 2026. Legal information, not legal advice. Not a law firm. hello@renterprotection.org