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Tenant Rights — New York

Each section below summarizes a tenant-protective state legal regime applicable in New York. Citations link to the underlying statute or regulation in the corpus where available, or to the official primary source otherwise.

Habitability

What conditions trigger a habitability claim, how to put the landlord on notice, and the remedies available.

Primary Authority
N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235-b — full text in corpus
Key Numbers
Warranty Authority
N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235-b
Rent Abatement Remedy
Yes
Repair And Deduct Authority
Jangla Realty v. Gravagna (Civ. Ct. 1990); HRD Court Rule 2304
Triggers and Remedies
  • Breach of warranty of habitability rent abatement proportional to value of diminished use plus consequential damages [N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235-b]
  • Interruption of essential services rent abatement plus consequential damages plus treble damages for willful acts [N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235]
What You Must Show
  • Condition documented. § 235-b warranty of habitability requires a documented condition.
  • Written notice given. Tenant should provide written notice and a reasonable cure period before invoking abatement remedies.
Related Authorities
  • N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235 (interruption of essential services)
  • N.Y. Mult. Dwell. Law § 78 (multiple dwelling repair duty) (not yet ingested)
  • N.Y. Mult. Resi. Law § 174 (multiple residence repair duty) (not yet ingested)
  • Park West Mgmt. v. Mitchell, 47 N.Y.2d 316 (1979) (warranty of habitability — abatement) (not yet ingested)
Drafter notes

NY warranty of habitability under § 235-b is the strongest in the country — Park West Mgmt. v. Mitchell established proportional rent abatement as the primary remedy. § 235 also covers willful interruption of essential services with treble damages.

Lockout / Illegal Eviction

Self-help eviction is unlawful — the landlord must use court process to recover possession.

Primary Authority
N.Y. RPAPL § 768 — full text in corpus
Key Numbers
Damages Floor Text
treble damages for forcible entry/detainer under RPAPL § 853; restoration of possession; attorney's fees
Criminal Penalty Nyc
Yes
Attorneys Fees Recoverable
Yes
Triggers and Remedies
  • Unlawful eviction lockout or self help class A misdemeanor plus civil treble damages plus attorneys fees [N.Y. RPAPL § 768; NYC Admin. Code § 26-521]
  • Interruption of essential services treble damages plus attorneys fees [N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235; N.Y. RPAPL § 853]
What You Must Show
  • Lockout type documented. NY RPAPL § 768 requires documented self-help eviction.
Related Authorities
Drafter notes

NY criminalizes self-help eviction in NYC under Admin. Code § 26-521 (Class A misdemeanor). RPAPL § 853 provides treble damages for forcible entry / detainer statewide. Self-help is per se unlawful — only judicial process recovers possession.

Repair-and-Deduct

Self-help remedy: repair a defect at the landlord's expense and deduct the cost from rent (within statutory caps).

Primary Authority
N.Y. RPAPL § 770 — primary source ↗
Key Numbers
Notice Cure Days
30
Deduction Cap Text
no statutory cap; tenant must show conditions affect habitability and give reasonable notice; rent abatement is the primary remedy under § 235-b. RPAPL Article 7-A allows tenant to seek court-ordered receiver to collect rent and pay for repairs.
Rpapl 770 Remedy
Yes
Triggers and Remedies
  • Landlord failure to remedy after notice rent abatement under section 235 b or RPAPL 770 administrator appointment [N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235-b; N.Y. RPAPL Article 7-A]
What You Must Show
  • Defect documented. Need a documented habitability defect.
  • Written notice provided. NY law requires reasonable notice and cure period — typically 30 days.
Related Authorities
  • Jangla Realty v. Gravagna, 154 Misc. 2d 290 (Civ. Ct. 1990) (repair-and-deduct via warranty of habitability) (not yet ingested)
  • N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235-b (warranty of habitability)
  • N.Y. Mult. Dwell. Law § 302-a (rent withholding for failure to obtain rent-impairing condition certificate) (not yet ingested)
Drafter notes

NY does not have a flat repair-and-deduct cap; the primary remedy is rent abatement under § 235-b. RPAPL Article 7-A (§§ 770-783) allows tenant to seek court-appointed administrator who collects rent and pays for repairs in seriously deficient buildings (1/3 of dwellings affected by violation).

Retaliation

Protection against landlord retaliation for reporting violations, joining a tenants' union, or asserting your rights.

Primary Authority
N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 223-b — full text in corpus
Key Numbers
Presumption Window Months
12
Attorneys Fees Recoverable
Yes
Triggers and Remedies
  • Eviction or increase after protected activity presumption of retaliation plus actual damages plus attorneys fees [N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 223-b]
  • Harassment of tenant civil penalty up to 10000 plus compensatory damages plus punitive damages [NYC Admin. Code § 27-2005(d)]
What You Must Show
  • Protected activity documented. NY § 223-b protects good-faith complaints, organizing, and assertion of rights.
  • Within one year window. HSTPA expanded the § 223-b presumption window to 12 months.
Related Authorities
Drafter notes

Post-HSTPA 2019, NY § 223-b retaliation presumption window is 12 months. NYC has parallel anti-harassment provisions in Admin. Code § 27-2004/2005 with civil penalty up to $10,000.

Security Deposit

How quickly the landlord must return the deposit, what they may deduct, and the multiplier on damages if they violate the rule.

Primary Authority
N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 238-a — full text in corpus
Key Numbers
Max Deposit Months
1
Return Window Days
14
Itemization Required
Yes
Interest Required Market Rate
No
Attorneys Fees Recoverable
No
Triggers and Remedies
  • Failure to return within 14 days forfeiture of deposit plus actual damages [N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law § 7-108(1-a)]
What You Must Show
  • Tenancy ended. NY § 7-108 governs return after tenancy ends.
  • Return window expired. Post-HSTPA NY law requires return within 14 days of tenancy termination.
Related Authorities
  • N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law § 7-103 (deposit must be held in trust, separate account) (not yet ingested)
  • N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law § 7-108 (return procedure post-HSTPA 2019) (not yet ingested)
Drafter notes

HSTPA 2019 capped NY security deposits at one month's rent and shortened return to 14 days. § 7-108(1-a) provides forfeiture of deposit if landlord doesn't comply with itemization within 14 days.

Source of Income Discrimination

Protection against discrimination based on Section 8 vouchers, public assistance, or other lawful sources of income.

Primary Authority
N.Y. Exec. Law § 296 — full text in corpus
Key Numbers
Agency Complaint Window Days
365
Private Court Window Years
3
Attorneys Fees Recoverable
Yes
Triggers and Remedies
  • Refusal to accept section 8 voucher or other lawful source actual damages plus civil penalty plus compensatory plus attorneys fees [N.Y. Exec. Law § 297]
What You Must Show
  • Income source documented. NY § 296(5) prohibits discrimination based on lawful source of income — Section 8, FEPS, public assistance, SSI, SSDI, etc.
  • Discriminatory act documented. Need a documented discriminatory act.
  • Within agency window. NYS Division of Human Rights complaint window is 1 year.
Related Authorities
Drafter notes

NY State added source-of-income protection to Executive Law § 296 in 2019. NYC Admin. Code § 8-107(5) provides parallel and broader protection enforced by NYC Commission on Human Rights.