HP  (Housing  Part)  Case  in  Housing  Court  

HCR  Complaint  of  Decrease  in  Services  

3 Ways to Get Repairs in your Apartment First  notify  your  landlord  in  writing  of  the  problem(s).  Send  a  letter  with  proof  of  mailing  and  save  a  copy  

of  it  for  your  records.  Give  your  landlord  a  deadline  of  at  least  7-­‐10  days  in  the  future  to  complete  the  repairs.  Tell  them  that  if  repairs  are  not  completed  after  that  date,  you  will  take  further  action.  After  

that,  here  are  some  legal  options  you  can  use,  each  with  its  own  pros  and  cons.  

 

1  This  is  a  case  where  tenants  request  that  a  housing  court  judge  order  the  landlord  to  fix  all  housing  code  violations.      

Pros:  

• You  are  on  the  offense  • You  can  get  other  tenants  in  your  building  involved  

for  greater  effectiveness.  

• Faster  than  other  two  options  below  • Available  to  all  tenants  in  NYC  • If  the  repair  is  deemed  a  housing  code  violation,  the  

judge  will  order  the  landlord  to  fix  it.    

Cons:  

• Going  to  court  costs  time  and  energy.  • If  you  are  not  a  regulated  tenant,  the  

landlord  may  retaliate  and  not  renew  

your  lease.  • There  is  no  monetary  compensation  for  the  time  

you  went  without  repairs.  You  only  get  your  repairs  

done.

 

How  to:  Go  to  your  borough’s  housing  court  and  bring  with  you  $45  cash  and  a  list  of  needed  repairs.    At  the  clerk’s  office,  tell  them  you  want  to  file  an  HP  Action.  The  clerk  will  give  you  forms  to  fill  out,  including  an  Order  to  Show  Cause,  a  Verified  Petition  and  an  Inspection  Request  Form.  Once  filled  in,  the  clerk  will  review  the  forms  and  schedule  an  inspection  of  your  apartment  by  the  City  and  the  judge  will  sign  the  Order  to  Show  Cause.  You  will  also  pay  the  $45  filing  

fee.  If  you  cannot  afford  this,  you  can  apply  for  a  waiver  if  you  can  show  proof  of  your  low  income.  Before  you  leave  you  court,  make  sure  you  have  the  following  information:  1)  your  inspection  date  by  the  city;  2)  your  first  court  date  and  3)  instructions  on  how  to  serve  your  landlord  a  copy  of  the  court  papers.  Please  note,  that  service  of  the  papers  on  your  

landlord  is  very  important.  Your  case  will  be  dismissed  if  you  do  not  follow  the  instructions  of  the  court.

 Homes  and  Community  Renewal  (HCR),  a  state  agency,  helps  enforce  repair  rights  for  rent-­‐controlled  and  rent-­‐stabilized  tenants.  If  HCR  finds  that  your  landlord  has  decreased  services  in  your  apartment,  they  will  

order  you  to  pay  a  lower  rent  until  the  landlord  certifies  that  he  has  corrected  all  of  the  conditions  found  by  HCR.  

Pros:  

• Avoid  the  costs  of  court.  This  is  an  administrative  proceeding  where  everything  is  done  by  paperwork  through  the  mail.    

• You  may  be  entitled  to  a  rent  reduction.    

Cons:  

• Very  slow  process  (though  a  special  process  exists  for  emergency  conditions)  

• Not  available  for  market-­‐rate  or  NYCHA  tenants.  

2  

Withholding  Rent  3  

 

How  to:  Call  311.  Have  an  HPD  inspector  come  to  your  apartment  and  record  the  violations.  Then,  Visit  

http://www.nyshcr.org/Forms/Rent/#tenant  and  download  and  print  form  RA-­‐81,  “Application  For  a  Rent  Reduction  Based  Upon  Decreased  Service(s)  –  Individual  Apartment,”  or  the  similar  RA-­‐84  for  building-­‐wide  issues.  You  can  also  

request  one  at  1-­‐866-­‐ASK  DHCR.  You  must  first  notify  your  landlord  of  your  issues  before  filing  this  complaint.  With  your  complaint,  attach  a  print  out  of  the  violations  at  www.nyc.gov/hpd.  After  filing,  HCR  will  give  your  landlord  time  to  respond  and  if  the  situation  is  not  fixed,  they  may  send  their  own  inspector  to  your  apartment  to  confirm  your  issues.  

They  will  reduce  your  rent  which  will  stay  frozen  until  the  landlord  successfully  proves  to  HCR  that  he  has  repaired  the  conditions  in  your  apartment  or  buildings.

   

A  tenant  withholds  his/her  rent  based  on  the  theory  that  the  landlord  is  not  entitled  to  the  full  

rent  if  the  tenant  is  not  receiving  the  full  value  of  the  apartment.    

Pros:  • All  tenants  in  NYC  can  use  this  method  to  get  

repairs  • Unlike  an  HP  proceeding,  you  can  fight  to  get  some  

rent  credited  to  you.    

Cons:  • Your  landlord  will  sue  you  for  nonpayment,  leading  

to  a  case  in  Housing  Court  • You  could  end  up  on  the  Tenant  Screening  List.  This  

is  a  service  that  potential  future  landlords  can  access  to  see  if  you  have  been  a  delinquent  tenant.    

• A  landlord  can  choose  to  not  bring  a  case  against  

you  for  several  months,  meaning  you  will  have  to  save  all  that  rent  in  the  meantime  and  may  be  

suffering  with  those  conditions  while  waiting  for  the  nonpayment  case  to  start.    

• If  you  do  not  save  all  your  rent,  you  will  be  at  risk  of  

eviction.  For  example:  if  you  only  saved  50%  of  the  total  rent  and  the  judge  decides  that  you  are  only  entitled  to  a  10%  rent  credit,  you  will  have  to  come  

up  with  the  missing  40%  of  the  rent  within  a  short  amount  of  time.    

• No  law  guarantees  your  right  to  deduct  repair  costs  

from  your  rent,  so  you  are  taking  a  chance  that  the  judge  will  rule  in  your  favor  in  Housing  Court.

 

How  to:  First,  it  is  worth  noting  that  while  withholding  rent  may  be  effective,  it  is  risky  because  there  is  no  law  in  NYC  that  guarantees  your  right  to  automatically  deduct  repair  costs  from  your  rent.  

Send  your  landlord  a  letter  (certified  mail,  return  receipt  requested)  stating  that  you  are  withholding  rent  because  the  

landlord  has  failed  to  respond  to  your  requests  for  repairs  and/or  services  (list  exactly  your  problems).  They  will  eventually  start  a  Nonpayment  case  against  you  in  Housing  Court.  

Be  sure  to  save  the  money  that  you  would  have  paid  for  rent,  because  you  will  end  up  paying  at  least  most  of  it  eventually.  If  you  don’t  save  all  of  it,  that  could  count  against  you  in  court.