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For Tenants
For Landlords

Resources & Links

Online Resources for New York City Tenants and Housing Advocates.
“Easily New York’s best online resource for New York landlord-tenant case law, statutes, secondary authority, and a great deal more law . . .”
Gerald Lebovits,
N.Y. Real Property Law Journal

General Tenant Rights Information


 

 

Tenant and Housing Organizations


City-Wide and State-Wide Organizations

Metropolitan Council on Housing NYC’s oldest tenant organization.

New York State Tenants & Neighbors Coalition, Inc. Statewide advocacy for tenants and affordable housing.
Tenants PAC Pro-tenant New York political action committee.

Shalom Tenants Alliance Coalition of tenants in over 100 buildings owned or managed by the Shalom/Ohebshalom family.

National Organizations

National Housing Law Project – A national housing law and advocacy center focused on affordable and subsidized housing.

National Low Income Housing Coalition – Preserves existing federally assisted homes and housing resources, expand the supply of low income housing, and establish housing stability as the primary purpose of federal low income housing policy.

Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law Resources – for advocates including Clearinghouse Review and the Poverty Law Library.

Bronx

Community Action for Safe Apartments (CASA) – Provides for budding tenant unions information on Organizing to get repairs, Fight against landlord harassment, Ensure that tenants know their rights, Build a sense of community and accountability in the building. They provide tenant advocacy, tenant education and leadership development.

Mothers on the Move (MOM) – A.k.a Madres en Movimiento, a member-led community organization building low-income people of color for community leadership

Neighborhood Initiatives Development Corporation – Serves Bronx CB 11 (Morris Park, Pelham Parkway, Bronxdale, Van Nest, Laconia).

Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition

Brooklyn

Brighton Neighborhood Association – Serves Brighton Beach, provides Housing Advocacy, Landlord Assistance, Social Services, Immigrant Outreach, Homeowner counseling, Tenant Organizing, Health Advocacy, and Youth Services

Bensonhurst Tenants Council – (Call (718) 372-2413) Tenant/Landlord mediation, tenant association formation

Carroll Gardens Association, Inc. – CGA is a grassroots neighborhood association that Has faciltated the SouthWest Brooklyn Tenants Union, a nanny association, and provides technical assistance to Hopewell Care, and helped create affordable housing units in the neighborhood

Crown Heights tenants Union – CHTU provides tenant support and assistance, landlord watching, court support, general information, and fights for the rights of Crown Heights tenants. They also provide assistance to other budding tenant unions in different neighborhoods.

Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation – Serves Cypress Hills, provides tenant counseling, foreclosure prevention, runs an East New York Homeowners Help Desk, youth and family services.

Fifth Avenue Committee – Serves South Brooklyn, provides housing and tenant advocacy, assists with affordable housing programs, runs a workforce development program, and has adult education programs such as ESL, GED, and computer skills.

Flatbush Development Corp.- Youth & Family Services, After-school Programs, Youth Summer Camp, Cornerstone Community Centers, Tenant Advocacy & Organizing, Housing Resource Fairs, Public Benefit Assistance, Senior Services, Domestic Violence Awareness & Services, HPD Ambassador, Economic Development, Participatory Budgeting

Flatbush Tenants Union – Eviction defense; Tenant organizing; Help w/ connecting to a lawyer; Getting repairs; Help applying for benefits; connecting to health, school, financial, and other resources

IMPACCT Brooklyn – Serves Central Brooklyn, assists tenants and developers along the affordable housing process, evictions and foreclosure prevention, advocacy in landlord-tenant disputes, and community financial literacy.

Los Sures – Provides information and assistance with affordable housing, tenants’ rights, civic engagement, education, immigration and more.

Make the Road New York – Serves Bushwick, provides tenant rights counseling, housing and organizing advocacy, and support on immigration issues with an emphasis on the Latin American and Caribbean community

Riseboro – Public benefits advocacy, emergency rental assistance, third party mediation, tenants’ rights workshops, financial literacy courses, supportive services referrals, emergency rental assistance, legal services.

St. Nicholas Neighborhood Preservation Corp – Serves Williamsburg and Greenpoint, Tenant resources, assistance with affordable housing applications, elder care, and youth education.

Manhattan

CAAV– Organizes the Chinatown Tenants Union, NYCHA Organizing Project, and Asian Youth in Action

Community Voices Heard – Provides tenant advocacy and organizing

Cooper Square Committee – Serves 14th to Delancey Streets east of Bowery/3rd Ave, Facilitates building tenant unions, tenant coalitions, legal advocacy and organizing, is involved in the Upstate-Downstate Coalition/Housing Justice for All

Goddard Riverside Law Project – Services SRO tenants on the west side- north of 14th st and apartment tenants living in the area from 100th to 116th Streets, from 5th Avenue to Riverside Drive. Provides: Free legal representation in nonpayment, holdover and Housing Part proceedings

Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES) – Serves 14th to Delancey Streets east of Bowery/4th Ave. and public housing residents on East Side below 14th St, Provides direct services such as housing and tenant rights counseling, assists in affordable housing applications as HPD Housing ambassadors, and tenant organizing

Housing Conservation Coordinators – Serves Hell’s Kitchen/Clinton, HCC provides legal services, tenant and community organizing, and weatherization assistance to thousands of neighborhood residents keep their homes, improve their living conditions, and fight for the changes that will keep our neighborhood affordable and diverse for years to come.

Independence Plaza North Tenant Association – Information and Assistance for the tenants of the Independence Plaza complex

Lenox Hill Neighborhood House – Serves the Upper East Side, this settlement house provides older adult services, an early childhood center, legal advocacy, homeless and housing services, and more.

Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation – Serves Washington Heights and Inwood, provides legal services, social services, and weatherization programs

Park West Village Tenants’ Association – Meetings every 3rd Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm via Zoom. Purposes are to protect the rights tenants in Park West Village (PWV); keep tenants informed of their rights; represent PWVTA members in negotiations with Park West Management; represent the concerns of PWVTA members to outside organizations and to elected officials and government agencies; and tenant organizing

Strycker’s Bay Neighborhood Council – Serves the Upper West Side, temporarily closed.

Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village Tenants Association – Organizing tenant rights campaigns, tenants rights counseling and support

Tenants & Neighbors – Tenant organizing, political advocacy for tenants rights

University Settlement Society/Project Home – Serves the Lower East Side, Case management, homeless and tenant assistance

Queens

Asian Americans for Equality – AAFE works with clients one-on-one to ensure their rights to safe and decent housing, to secure and extend appropriate government housing subsidies, to make sure they have access to social support programs, such as food stamps and Medicaid and to provide assistance with immigration matters.

Catholic Migration Services – Provides Housing, Immigration, and Workers Rights services

CCHAYA CDC – Provides counseling and support with housing issues, immigration, and civic engagement

Make the Road New York – Serves western Queens, Provides tenant rights counseling, housing and organizing advocacy, and support on immigration issues with an emphasis on the Latin American and Caribbean community

Margert Community Corporation – Serves Far Rockaway area, Offers housing counseling services and home buyer assistance

Queens Community House – Serves Queens, Offers family services such as housing and homelessness prevention programs, immigration services, and food access initiatives as well as a slew of community assistance

Riseboro – Provides tenant services such as rent arrears assistance and legal counseling. Must be referred in court for these

Staten Island

Make the Road New York – Serves Port Richmond, Provides Housing; Public Benefits; Immigration; Action NYC services

Other

Some of the following organizations provide assistance to tenants:

1) Member organizations of the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development.
2) Member agencies of the United Neighborhood Houses, a citywide federation of settlement houses.
3) Community-Based Housing Organizations receiving DHCR grant assistance.date to return to court.

New York State & City Government Agencies


State of New York

New York State Government Agencies and Offices

New York State Government Telephone Directory

The Green Book Online State government information in the official directory of the City of New York.

NYS Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) – Office of Rent Administration:

 

NYS Department of State – Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons Licensing

NYS Attorney General – Bureau of Consumer Frauds and Protection – Housing Issues

NYS Division of Human Rights

NYS Committee on Open Government – Your Right to Know(FOIL, Open Meetings, Privacy)

City of New York

NYC.gov – City of New York Home Page

NYC Community Boards – Community boards are local representative bodies. There are 59 community boards throughout the City, and each one consists of up to 50 unsalaried members.

NYC Department for the Aging – DFTA also has a Senior Employment Services Unit, Caregiver Resource Center, Elderly Crime Victims Resource Center, Grandparent Resource Center, Foster Grandparent Program, Bill Payer Program, and Volunteer Resource Center.

NYC Department of Buildings – The Department enforces compliance with these regulations and promotes worker and public safety through its review and approval of building plans, permitting and licensing functions, and inspections.

NYC HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA) – HASA assists individuals living with AIDS or HIV illness to live healthier, more independent lives. The program can help clients with individualized service plans to target necessary benefits and provide support that is specific to their medical situation and that will enhance their well-being.

NYC Department of Homeless Services – Provide safe temporary shelter, and connect New Yorkers experiencing homelessness to suitable housing.

NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) – HPD enforces the Housing Maintenance Code, develops new affordable housing, and neighborhood planning. You can call for an HPD inspector to inspect for violations in your apartment by calling 311.

NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA) – Public and subsidized housing

NYC Housing Development Corporation

NYC Human Resources Administration (HRA/DSS) – Provides social benefits and public assistance

NYC Commission on Human Rights — Housing – The New York City Commission on Human Rights is charged with the enforcement of the Human Rights Law, Title 8 of the Administrative Code of the City of New York, and with educating the public and encouraging positive community relations.

NYC Law Department – Law Department attorneys draft and review local and State legislation, real estate leases, procurement contracts, and financial instruments for the sale of municipal bonds.

NYC Loft Board –  The Board is charged with overseeing the conversion of Interim Multiple Dwelling (IMD) buildings from commercial and manufacturing spaces to safe, rent-stabilized residences that comply with the minimum standards of safety and fire protection stated in Article 7-B of the New York State Multiple Dwelling Law.

NYC Marshals – The enforcement officers of the NYC Civil Court.

Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities – Housing – Their mission is to enforce the rights and concerns of the disability community are included in all City initiatives and that City programs and policies address the needs of people with disabilities.

NYC Rent Guidelines Board – The RGB staff is responsible for providing administrative support to the Board and prepares research regarding the economic condition of the stabilized residential real estate industry including operating and maintenance costs, the cost of financing, housing supply and cost of living indices.

Elected Officials


Who Represents Me? – Search engine to find all your local, state, and federal elected officials. (NYC only)

New York City Council – List of all elected City Council members.

Links to elected officials’ websites  (League of Women Voters of the City of New York).

Housing Court


(Housing Part, New York City Civil Court)

Other New York State Courts


NYS Unified Court System

Courthelp.gov  The NYS Unified Court System’s website for self-represented litigants.

Small Claims Part, NYC Civil Court

A Guide To Small Claims Court By the NYC Civil Court.

Supreme Court, New York County – Civil Branch

Supreme Court, New York County “SCROLL” (Supreme Court Records On-Line Library): Index number search; multi-field search.

Index number, index number purchase date, and caption information are available for all cases for which an index number was purchased since about 1972. For more recent cases, County Clerk minutes, appearance information, scanned pleadings, RJIs, notices of motion, stipulations, orders and judgments and decisions are available (see also the WebCivil Supreme system). Details (pdf).

Rules of the New York State Unified Court System

See also Court Acts and Rules of Procedure

WebCivil Supreme  Case status, motions, and appearances for Supreme Court cases assigned to a judge from 1986 to present.

Appellate Term, First Department

Appellate Term, First Department 2012 Calendar (Record Press)

Appellate Term, First Department Guidelines (Record Press)

Appellate Term, Second Department

Appellate Term, Second Department Guidelines (Record Press)

Appellate Division, First Department

Appellate Division, Second Department

New York Court of Appeals

Lawyers


Free Legal Services Providers

If you have a case in housing court, you can be referred to the right to counsel for a free attorney by calling 212-962-4795.

Municipal Employees Legal Services (DC37)

New York City Bar Association Legal Clinic and Legal Hotline Serves all of NYC.

Legal Aid Society of New York – Civil Practice Programs and offices city-wide.

Legal Services NYC Programs and offices city-wide.

Legal Services NYC offices:

Legal Services NYC-Bronx

Bedford-Stuyvesant Community Legal Services

South Brooklyn Legal Services Housing Unit

Brooklyn Legal Services Corp. A

Legal Services NYC-Brooklyn Branch

Manhattan Legal Services

Queens Legal Services

Staten Island Legal Services

CAMBA Legal Services  Serves Brooklyn.

Catholic Migration Services. Serves Queens.

The Door Legal Services Center  – Serves people between the ages of 12 and 21 city-wide.

Housing Conservation Coordinators  – Serves 34th – 72nd Streets west of 8th Ave.

Northern Manhattan Improvement Corp. (NMIC) Legal Services Serves Washington Heights and Inwood.

Goddard Riverside SRO Law Project  Serves SRO tenants on West Side north of 14th Street and apartment tenants living between 100-110th Streets from Broadway to Central Park West.

 

Private Tenant Attorneys

Links are not advertisements by, endorsements of, or referrals to any attorney or law firm.

Alterman & Boop LLP

Collins, Dobkin, & Miller LLP

John D. Gorman

Kenneth B Hawco

Himmelstein, McConnell, Gribben, & Joseph

William E Leavitt

Jeffrey McAdams

 

New York State Attorney Directory

What to verify or search for the information of an attorney? Use the New York State Attorney Director.

Go to Directory

 

Public and Charitable Assistance Resources


Human Resources Administration has long provided rent arrears assistance and assistance to move. These can come in the form of loans or grants. Future ability is generally a requirement for this program.

 

Housing Court Answers Hotline Coordinates referrals for rent arrears assistance through the Emergency Rent Coalition. You can call 212-962-4795 Monday-Friday from 9am-5pm.

 

Covid Rent Relief Program (Temporary) is the state administered fund for rent arrears for those who fell behind due to the COVID19 shutdown.

 

 

Research Court & Agency Decisions


New York State Law Reporting Bureau — The Law Reporting Bureau, the official reporter and publisher of New York state court decisions, maintains two free online decision archives, plus other useful resources:

New York Slip Opinion Service Court of Appeals, Appellate Division, and Appellate Term decisions plus lower court decisions selected for official (print or online-only) publication. Multi-field search form searches archives from about Nov. 2003-present; site search also available. The most current and complete source for recently issued appellate decisions.

New York Official Reports Service — Free, searchable database including all officially published or abstracted New York state court decisions from January 1, 1980 through the most recent Advance Sheets (for most recent decisions, see New York Slip Opinion Service, above).

Official Case Name and Citation Locator — Find the Official Reports “cite-as” case name for New York state court decisions by entering the citation, or find the Official Reports citation for New York state court decisions by party name(s).

Google Scholar Search officially reported and recent unreported decisions of all New York State courts, Federal courts, and other state courts.

Loislaw — Search officially reported or abstracted decisions of all New York State courts combined or search by court.

New York Court of Appeals Reports (NY, NY2d, NY3d) since 1847
New York Appellate Division Reports (App Div, AD2d, AD3d) since 1896
New York Miscellaneous Reports (trial courts, Appellate Terms) (Misc, Misc 2d, Misc 3d) since 1892

More case law searches:
United States Supreme Court Reports (U.S., S.Ct.) since 1789
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (F.2d, F.3d) since 1924
United States District Court Reports (F., F.2d, F. Supp., unpublished) since 1904
United States Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals (all circuits), combined

New York Supreme Court Decision Search (2001 to Present) — For advanced search options, see Search Tips and Query Language

WebCivil Supreme — Retrieve New York Supreme Court decisions by index number
Lexis courthouse access — NOTE: Link accessible via courthouse WiFi network or LAN
Appellate Briefs — Appellate Division, Second Department

An old collection of DHCR PAR decisions (1990-1994 only) is online. WARNING & DISCLAIMER: Other content posted on “www.tenant.net” may be inaccurate and/or outdated.

DHCR Case Status Search — Search by docket number for status of a case filed with the DHCR Office of Rent Administration.

How to Read a DHCR Docket Number

See also Shapiro’s DHCR Decision Finder

CITYADMINSearch New York City Agency Decisions  (Loft Board, OATH, ECB, Buildings, BSA, Planning, etc.)

See also New York Law Journal, Landlord-Tenant Law Treatises and Public Law Libraries and Collections.