NYC Tenant Rights & Housing Law

Your Home.
Your Rights.
We Protect Both.

Landlords bank on tenants not knowing their rights. We level the playing field. Rent overcharge, harassment, wrongful eviction — we fight back with the full force of NYC's strongest-in-the-nation tenant protections.

📞 Call Cuz — Free Know Your Rights →

$210KRent Overcharge Won

HSTPA2019 Law Expert

3XTreble Damages Available

FreeConsultation Always

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Is Your Landlord Breaking the Law?

Get a free case review from a real tenant rights attorney. Same day response.

Three Areas Where
We Fight for You

NYC tenants have some of the strongest legal protections in the country. Most landlords count on you not knowing them. We make sure you do.

🏠

Rent Overcharge

If your apartment is rent stabilized or rent controlled, your landlord cannot charge more than the legally registered rent. Many do — and owe you years of refunds.

Charges above legal regulated rent
Improper IAI / MCI surcharges
Fraudulent deregulation schemes
Preferential rent violations
HSTPA 2019 — no lookback limit for fraud

3X Damages

Treble damages available for willful overcharge

😤

Landlord Harassment

Landlord harassment is illegal under NYC and NYS law. Whether it's cutting services, entering illegally, or trying to buy you out — we stop it and get you paid.

Interruption of heat, hot water, electricity
Unlawful entry into your apartment
Threats, intimidation, verbal abuse
Fraudulent or coercive buyout offers
Illegal construction to force you out

$175K

Recent harassment settlement — Bronx tenant

🚪

Wrongful Eviction

A landlord cannot simply throw you out. Evictions in NYC require court proceedings, proper notice, and legal grounds. We fight illegal evictions and lockouts hard.

Illegal lockouts without court order
Retaliatory eviction (after complaining)
Improper non-renewal of lease
Fraudulent owner-use proceedings
Discriminatory eviction

Free

Emergency consultation — call now if locked out

NYC's Most Powerful
Tenant Protections

These are the laws we use to fight for you. Most landlords hope you've never heard of them.

HSTPA 2019

Housing Stability & Tenant Protection Act

The landmark 2019 law that fundamentally reshaped NYC tenant protections. Eliminated high-rent deregulation, strengthened overcharge protections, and removed the lookback period limitation for fraud-based overcharges.

RSC § 2526.1

Treble Damages for Willful Overcharge

If DHCR finds your landlord willfully overcharged you, you are entitled to three times the amount of the overcharge — not just a refund. We always pursue treble damages when warranted.

Your overcharge amount, tripled

RPL § 234

Attorney's Fees for Tenants

Under Real Property Law § 234, if your lease provides for attorney's fees in your landlord's favor, New York law automatically gives you the same right. We use this to recover our fees from landlords who lose.

NYC Admin Code § 27-2005

Landlord Duty to Maintain Heat

From October 1 to May 31, landlords must maintain 68°F during the day when outside temps drop below 55°F, and 62°F at night. Violation triggers HPD fines of up to $1,000/day and grounds for HP Court action.

NYC Admin Code § 27-2093

Harassment Protections

NYC broadly defines landlord harassment to include interruption of services, verbal intimidation, illegal entry, fraudulent buyout offers, and construction designed to make apartments uninhabitable. Tenants can sue for compensatory and punitive damages.

RPAPL § 713

Illegal Lockout Law

A landlord who locks you out without a court order is committing an illegal lockout. You have the right to an emergency court order restoring your possession — and you can sue the landlord for damages. Call us immediately if you are locked out.

Is Your Landlord
Harassing You?

Harassment doesn't always look obvious. If any of these sound familiar, call us today.

🌡️

Cutting Essential Services

No heat in winter, no hot water, sudden loss of electricity or gas. This is one of the most common and illegal forms of harassment in NYC.

🔑

Unlawful Entry

Landlord or super entering without proper advance notice or your consent — except for genuine emergencies.

💰

Coercive Buyout Offers

Pressure, intimidation, or misrepresentation in connection with offers to pay you to leave your apartment. These are illegal under NYC Admin Code § 27-2005.

🔨

Illegal Construction

Renovations designed to make your apartment unbearable — excessive noise, dust, loss of access — without proper permits or scheduling.

📝

Withholding Lease Renewal

Refusing to offer a rent-stabilized lease renewal without legal grounds — a common tactic to force tenants into non-renewal situations.

😡

Threats & Intimidation

Verbal threats, hostile visits, discriminatory language, or any conduct designed to cause fear or distress to make you leave.

From Harassment to Justice —
Here's the Path

Free Case Review

Tell us what your landlord is doing. We review your case and explain your rights — for free, same day.

Document Everything

We guide you on preserving evidence — photos, texts, rent receipts, DHCR records. We do the legal legwork.

We File & Fight

DHCR complaint, HP Action, Supreme Court — wherever your case needs to go, we take it there aggressively.

You Win & Stay

Overcharge refund, treble damages, harassment settlement, and your legal rent going forward. You keep your home.

Real Wins for
NYC Tenants

Rent Overcharge — Bronx

$210K

DHCR treble damages award — fraudulent deregulation scheme uncovered

Landlord Harassment — Bronx

$175K

Illegal lockout + intentional infliction of emotional distress

Rent Stabilization — Manhattan

$95K

6-year overcharge refund + attorney's fees — Washington Heights tenant

Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Tenants We've Fought For

★★★★★

My landlord was trying to push me out for years — turning off heat, refusing repairs, sending fake notices. CallCuz found out he was overcharging me $800/month and fought DHCR all the way. We won treble damages. I'm still in my apartment.

David L.

Rent Overcharge — Washington Heights

★★★★★

Landlord changed my locks while I was at work and claimed I abandoned the apartment. CallCuz had me back in my home the same day with an emergency court order and then sued the landlord for damages. I couldn't believe how fast they moved.

Terri C.

Illegal Lockout — Bronx

Housing Rights Questions
We Hear Every Day

How do I know if my apartment is rent stabilized?

Go to HCR.ny.gov and search your building address. You can also check your lease — rent-stabilized apartments must include a rent stabilization rider. Most buildings in NYC built before 1974 with 6 or more units are stabilized. Call us and we'll check for free.

How far back can I claim rent overcharge?

Under HSTPA 2019, for standard overcharges you can go back 6 years. For cases involving a fraudulent scheme to deregulate your apartment, there is NO lookback period — your landlord can be held liable for all overcharges regardless of when they occurred.

My landlord turned off my heat. What do I do right now?

1. Document the temperature with photos (show a thermometer with the date/time). 2. Call 311 immediately — this creates an official complaint record. 3. Call us — we can file an HP Action in Housing Court for emergency heat restoration within days. Also, your landlord faces HPD fines of up to $1,000/day.

My landlord wants to buy me out. Should I accept?

Do NOT sign anything without talking to us first. Buyout agreements permanently waive your tenancy rights and are often worth far less than what you're legally entitled to — especially in rent-stabilized apartments. We've seen landlords offer $10K when the tenant had rights worth $100K+. Call us before signing anything.

Can my landlord evict me for complaining about repairs?

No — that's illegal retaliation. Under New York law, if your landlord takes adverse action (eviction, rent increase, service reduction) within one year of a good-faith complaint to a government agency, there is a legal presumption of retaliation. You have strong protections and can sue for damages.

What is treble damages and how do I get them?

Treble damages means the court awards you three times the amount of the overcharge, plus interest. DHCR can award treble damages when it finds the overcharge was willful. We always argue for willful overcharge in our DHCR cases — because in most cases, the landlord knew exactly what they were doing.

Your Home.Your Rights.We Protect Both.