A Roommate is a person who lives with the tenant of record and pays a proportionate share of the rent to the tenant of record but is not identified on the lease agreement as a co-tenant of record.

In New York City, the law gives all residential tenants the right to safe, decent, and sanitary living space. This right, referred to as “the warranty of habitability,” is implied in every written or oral lease and applies to the room or apartment rented as well as the public areas of the building. This includes a right to be free from harassment. An “HP Action” is a case in housing court that can be started by a tenant whose landlord is not making necessary repairs or engaging in harassment.

It is illegal and a crime for someone to lock you out of your residence, shut off your utilities, or remove your belongings, if you have lived somewhere 30 days or more or if you have a lease or another agreement that allows you to remain.

On April 20, 2024, a new law went into effect that protects some tenants from huge rent increases and requires a landlord to have a good reason for evicting a tenant.

If you are a single adult New Arrival or part of an adult family of New Arrivals, you have a right to shelter in New York City if you have no other safe place to sleep and cannot afford permanent housing. You are a “New Arrival” if you arrived in the United States on or after March 15, 2022, and have a fear of returning to your home country.

You are an “adult” if you are 18 or older. You are an “adult family” if you and your adult family members have no child here with you who is under 21 years old. You are a “single adult” if you are applying by yourself. Even though you have a right to shelter if you don’t have another safe place to sleep, the City will require you to follow certain steps to make sure you are eligible (see below).

This information only applies to adult New Arrivals. The information does not apply to New Arrival families in New York with minor children (children under the age of 21) or pregnant people. This information does not apply to anyone from another country (adults and families) who arrived in the United States before March 15, 2022.

New York City is issuing 60-day notices to all families with children living in shelter who arrived in the United States after March 15, 2022 and are afraid to return to their home country. These 60-day notices tell families that their shelter placement will end after 60 days.

In New York City, school-age children are afforded certain rights under The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

If you are in New York City and have nowhere safe to sleep, you have a right to a shelter bed. If you recently came to New York City from a different country, and you have no other safe place to stay, you have a right to shelter, regardless of your immigration status. Please be aware that there have been recent changes regarding the right to shelter for single adult and adult family New Arrivals. Read our full resource on these changes here.

If you inherit a home with a mortgage, you have the right to “stay and pay.” However, rightful heirs often encounter difficulty when dealing with the mortgage servicer to obtain information about the mortgage loan or learning about their options as an heir. Below is a list of frequently asked questions that may be helpful to you when dealing with the mortgage servicer.

A public space is a place that is open to anyone. This could be a park, public plaza, roadway, sidewalk, library, government building, etc. Privately owned public spaces, also known as POPS, are spaces that are open to the public but are managed by private owners. POPS can be located indoors or outdoors.

The rules for service animals and emotional support animals are not the same.

The Department of Homeless Services (DHS) must allow you to bring your service animal with you into shelter. DHS cannot separate you from your service animal.

DHS must accommodate your disabilities in shelter, including if you have an emotional support animal. However, you and your emotional support animal must meet certain requirements that are explained below.

New York State ERAP stopped accepting applications as of January 20, 2023 at 9:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Although the program is closed, applications submitted prior to January 20, 2023 are still being processed. If you have a pending application that has not had a determination you should contact New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) online or by phone at 844-NY1RENT (844-691-7368).

The Department of Homeless Services (DHS) must adjust their rules and procedures so people with disabilities can have equal access. If you have a disability and need DHS shelter, DHS must give you what you need to use DHS shelter and services. There are many different RAs that DHS can give you, depending on what you need because of your disability.

From now until at least December 31, 2023, NYC tenants who meet the requirements below are eligible for HRA’s Family Homelessness Eviction Prevention Supplement (FHEPS) program before your landlord takes you to court to evict you for nonpayment of rent. FHEPS can pay ongoing rent (and back rent owed) for families with children who receive cash assistance and are facing eviction. Immigrant families may be eligible. Tenants can start the application process in one of four ways.

A step by step guide to getting out of your lease or rental agreement.

If you or someone you know speak a language other than English, you have the right to request an interpreter and possibly documents in your preferred language from The Department of Homeless Services.

If you currently reside in a homeless shelter, you may be eligible to have the Human Resources Administration (HRA) pay the fees for your furniture and belongings held in a storage unit.

Families with minor children or people who are pregnant can apply for DHS (Department of Homeless Services) shelter at PATH (Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing) in the Bronx. PATH will ask you to prove that you are homeless. If you are homeless, you are “eligible” for shelter. PATH is located at 151 East 151st Bronx, NY 10451.

When you apply for family shelter, you will have to prove where you lived for the past two years. If you have trouble proving your housing history, DHS may say you are “ineligible,” which means they do not think you have proven you are homeless.

You have the right to a clean and sanitary shelter unit, which means the unit should be in good repair and not have a problem with mice, rats, or bugs.

There are several steps you must take if you plan to sue DHS for civil damages. While Legal Aid does not represent clients in this type of case, here is some general information about how to bring your case.

If your shelter lost or damaged your stuff, you can file a lawsuit in Small Claims Court for up to $10,000.

The lender of your mortgage loan may contract with another company to service your mortgage. This company is called a mortgage servicer. It does not own your loan but is the company to which you send your monthly payments and which you contact if you have any questions about your account. During the term of your loan the mortgage servicer may change several times.

Broken lease cases generally occur when you vacate your apartment prior to the end of your lease term, and thus you “break” your lease. They are post-possessory (after you’ve left the apartment) lawsuits brought by landlords in New York City Small Claims Court, Civil Court, or Supreme Court, for alleged rent arrears, attorney’s fees, and other tenancy-related charges. They also occur when landlords try to collect on money judgments obtained in Housing Court or concurrent with Housing Court lawsuits.

What you need to know about the process of forclosure and what rights you have as a property owner.

Foreclosure rescue and loan modification scams are on the rise. They target and exploit home owners with false promises to reduce or even eliminate mortgage payments, repaid their credit or trick homeowners into signing over their deed. Frequently, scammers charge exorbitant fees in violation of existing laws.

If you have received an eviction notice from a marshal, you are at risk of having your locks changed and your belongings removed.

In New York City, the law gives all residential tenants the right to a safe, decent, and sanitary living space. This right, commonly referred to as the warranty of habitability, is implied in every written or oral lease and applies to the room or apartment rented as well as the public areas of the building.

Succession rights permit certain occupants of a rent-regulated apartment to lawfully become tenants of the apartment when the tenant of record (the person named on the lease) dies, permanently leaves or surrenders rights to the apartment.

“Harassment” is any act or failure to act by a landlord or a landlord’s agents that causes or is intended to cause any person legally entitled to live in a room or apartment to give up their room or apartment, or any rights related to their tenancy. In New York State, tenant harassment can be a felony or misdemeanor. In New York City, tenant harassment is also a housing code violation, and tenants can sue their landlord in Housing Court if they are being harassed.

In New York State, a lender must start a legal action in Supreme Court and get a court order to foreclose against an owner who has not paid the mortgage. The owner is legally allowed to collect rents and make leases until the foreclosure ends in an auction, when the building is either sold to a new owner or retained by the lender.