NYC tenants
Rent-Stabilized Unit Rights in New York
Roughly half of New York City's rental apartments are rent stabilized. If yours is one of them, you have rights that go well beyond what an ordinary lease provides — and landlords sometimes hope you do not know what they are.
Lease renewals and increases
A rent-stabilized tenant has the right to renew the lease for one or two years at increases set annually by the NYC Rent Guidelines Board. The landlord must offer a renewal in a specific window before the lease ends, on the proper form. Failure to do so is itself a violation and can be raised as a defense to a holdover.
Rent overcharges
If you suspect your rent was illegally raised — for example after a 'major capital improvement' that did not happen, or after a vacancy with no proper records — you can file an overcharge complaint with HCR or sue in Supreme Court. Successful overcharge claims can include treble (triple) damages and a reset of the legal regulated rent.
Succession and eviction defense
Family members who actually live with a stabilized tenant for the required period may have succession rights to the apartment. And in any eviction proceeding, stabilization status is a powerful defense — landlords cannot simply refuse to renew. If you are being pushed out, get the rent history and an attorney before signing anything.
Talk to a New York attorney about your matter.
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