They count on you not knowing.

A landlord can charge no more than $20 for a credit and background check and must provide the applicant with a copy of the report and invoice. Applicants can avoid the charge by supplying a qualifying credit/background report obtained within the previous 30 days.

Source: NYS Office of the Attorney General

General information only. Rules can change and individual circumstances vary. Verify with the relevant government agency or a qualified professional.

Rent-stabilized tenants generally have a right to choose a one- or two-year renewal; the landlord must offer it 90–150 days before expiration and the tenant normally has 60 days to respond. For unregulated apartments, renewal rights depend on the lease and Good Cause Eviction; otherwise a landlord may decline renewal but generally must provide 30, 60, or 90 days' written notice, depending on the length of the tenancy.

Source: NYS Office of the Attorney General

General information only. Rules can change and individual circumstances vary. Verify with the relevant government agency or a qualified professional.

Tenants in buildings with four or more apartments generally have a statutory right to request a sublet with the landlord's advance consent, which cannot be unreasonably withheld. Rent-stabilized tenants face additional restrictions—including limits on sublet length and the rent charged—and the original tenant remains responsible for the lease. Buildings with three or fewer apartments have different rules.

Source: NYS Office of the Attorney General

General information only. Rules can change and individual circumstances vary. Verify with the relevant government agency or a qualified professional.

When a tenant permanently leaves or dies, qualifying family members may be able to take over a rent-stabilized or rent-controlled tenancy. Generally, the person must have used the apartment as a primary residence with the tenant for at least two years immediately before departure or death; the period is normally one year for seniors and people with disabilities, and some nontraditional family relationships can qualify.

Source: NYS Homes and Community Renewal

General information only. Rules can change and individual circumstances vary. Verify with the relevant government agency or a qualified professional.

Under NYC's FARE Act, effective June 11, 2025, a broker representing the landlord—including a listing agent—cannot charge the prospective tenant the broker's fee. A renter may still voluntarily hire and pay their own broker, and landlords must disclose other tenant-paid rental fees before the lease is signed.

Source: NYC Consumer and Worker Protection

General information only. Rules can change and individual circumstances vary. Verify with the relevant government agency or a qualified professional.

A preferential rent is a rent below the apartment's higher legal regulated rent. For rent-stabilized tenants paying a preferential rent on or after June 14, 2019, that preferential rent generally remains the basis for rent increases for the duration of the tenancy rather than jumping back to the higher legal rent at renewal.

Source: NYS Homes and Community Renewal

General information only. Rules can change and individual circumstances vary. Verify with the relevant government agency or a qualified professional.

Market-rate apartments generally have no fixed rent cap, although increases above 5% require advance written notice and some apartments are protected by Good Cause Eviction. Rent-stabilized increases are set annually by the NYC Rent Guidelines Board: leases beginning Oct. 1, 2025–Sept. 30, 2026 allow 3% for one year and 4.5% for two years; leases beginning Oct. 1, 2026–Sept. 30, 2027 allow 0% for both one- and two-year renewals.

Source: NYC Rent Guidelines Board

General information only. Rules can change and individual circumstances vary. Verify with the relevant government agency or a qualified professional.

Rent-regulated tenants who believe they are paying more than the legal rent can request the apartment's rent history and file an overcharge complaint with NYS Homes and Community Renewal. HCR can order the legal rent reduced and require repayment; willful overcharges may result in treble damages.

Source: NYS Homes and Community Renewal

General information only. Rules can change and individual circumstances vary. Verify with the relevant government agency or a qualified professional.

A landlord generally cannot require more than one month's rent as a security deposit. The deposit cannot be used for ordinary wear and tear, and landlords generally must return the balance within 14 days after move-out, with an itemized explanation of deductions.

Source: NYS Office of the Attorney General

General information only. Rules can change and individual circumstances vary. Verify with the relevant government agency or a qualified professional.

NYC housing providers may not discriminate because of disability and must provide reasonable accommodations needed for equal use of housing, which can include policy changes or physical modifications such as ramps, grab bars or accessible fixtures. Whether a particular modification is required depends on factors including feasibility and undue hardship.

Source: Fair Housing NYC

General information only. Rules can change and individual circumstances vary. Verify with the relevant government agency or a qualified professional.

NYC law prohibits housing discrimination based on numerous protected characteristics, including race, religion, national origin, disability, gender, sexual orientation, family status, immigration status and lawful source of income. Prohibited conduct can include refusing an application, falsely claiming an apartment is unavailable, imposing different rental terms or publishing discriminatory advertising.

Source: Fair Housing NYC

General information only. Rules can change and individual circumstances vary. Verify with the relevant government agency or a qualified professional.

A landlord generally must use Housing Court to evict a tenant and obtain both a judgment of possession and a warrant of eviction. After a warrant is issued, a City Marshal or Sheriff—not the landlord—carries out the eviction, and the marshal generally must serve at least 14 days' notice before doing so. Tenants facing an eviction case should respond to court papers rather than assuming a landlord's notice means they must immediately leave.

Source: NYS Unified Court System

General information only. Rules can change and individual circumstances vary. Verify with the relevant government agency or a qualified professional.

Good Cause Eviction protects many—but not all—market-rate NYC tenants from eviction or nonrenewal without a legally recognized reason and provides a defense against certain excessive rent increases. The current NYC “local rent standard” is 8.38%; an increase above that amount may be found unreasonable by Housing Court, but it is not an automatic rent cap. Many properties are exempt, including certain small-landlord properties, newer buildings, condos/co-ops, regulated housing and very high-rent units.

Source: NYC Housing Preservation & Development

General information only. Rules can change and individual circumstances vary. Verify with the relevant government agency or a qualified professional.

A landlord may not pressure or intimidate a lawful tenant into leaving or giving up tenant rights. Harassment can include illegal lockouts, repeated threats, deliberately withholding heat or repairs, repeated frivolous court proceedings, misleading tenants about their rights, or certain repeated unwanted buyout contacts.

Source: NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

General information only. Rules can change and individual circumstances vary. Verify with the relevant government agency or a qualified professional.

NYC heat season runs October 1 through May 31. From 6 a.m.–10 p.m., apartments must be at least 68°F when the outdoor temperature is below 55°F; overnight they must be at least 62°F regardless of outdoor temperature. Hot water must be available year-round at a minimum constant temperature of 120°F. Tenants can report violations through 311.

Source: NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

General information only. Rules can change and individual circumstances vary. Verify with the relevant government agency or a qualified professional.

A landlord cannot simply change the locks, remove a door, shut off essential services or physically remove a tenant. Lockout protections can apply even without a lease once someone has lawfully occupied the home for more than 30 days; only a City Marshal or Sheriff acting under a court-issued warrant can carry out an eviction.

Source: NYC Portal 311

General information only. Rules can change and individual circumstances vary. Verify with the relevant government agency or a qualified professional.

Contrary to a common assumption, New York does not impose one universal “24-hour notice” rule for every landlord entry. Landlords generally may enter with reasonable prior notice, at a reasonable time and with the tenant's consent for repairs, services or purposes permitted by the lease; emergencies such as fires or major leaks may justify entry without prior notice.

Source: NYS Office of the Attorney General

General information only. Rules can change and individual circumstances vary. Verify with the relevant government agency or a qualified professional.

Ordinary pet rights usually depend on the lease, but NYC has important exceptions. In many private buildings with three or more units, a landlord who knowingly allows a tenant to keep a pet openly for at least three months without beginning enforcement may waive the no-pet clause; service animals and qualifying emotional-support animals receive separate disability protections and generally cannot be subjected to ordinary pet restrictions or pet fees.

Source: NYC Office of Animal Welfare

General information only. Rules can change and individual circumstances vary. Verify with the relevant government agency or a qualified professional.

About one million NYC apartments are rent stabilized. In general, stabilization covers many buildings with 6+ apartments built before 1974, plus some newer buildings receiving tax benefits. Stabilized tenants receive limits on rent increases, renewal rights, and other protections. Building age alone does not prove an apartment is stabilized, so renters should check the apartment’s official rent history with NYS Homes and Community Renewal. (Updated Aug. 2026)

Source: NYS Homes and Community Renewal

General information only. Rules can change and individual circumstances vary. Verify with the relevant government agency or a qualified professional.

Landlords must keep apartments and common areas safe, sanitary and habitable, including addressing leaks, vermin, dangerous conditions and essential services. Renters should notify the landlord, document the condition and communications, and file a 311 complaint if necessary; tenants can also bring an HP Action in Housing Court to seek a repair order.

Source: NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

General information only. Rules can change and individual circumstances vary. Verify with the relevant government agency or a qualified professional.

Housing assistance such as Section 8 and CityFHEPS is generally protected as a lawful source of income under NYC and New York State discrimination laws. Landlords, managers and brokers generally cannot reject a qualified applicant simply because rent will be paid partly or entirely through a voucher or public benefit, and screening requirements cannot be manipulated to defeat those protections.

Source: NYC Human Resources Administration

General information only. Rules can change and individual circumstances vary. Verify with the relevant government agency or a qualified professional.

New York's “Roommate Law” generally prevents a lease from limiting an apartment solely to the named tenant. A tenant living in the apartment as a primary residence may generally live with immediate family plus one additional occupant and that occupant's dependent children, subject to legal occupancy limits; landlords can require the names of occupants.

Source: NYS Office of the Attorney General

General information only. Rules can change and individual circumstances vary. Verify with the relevant government agency or a qualified professional.