---
name: ny-nyc-housing-court
description: >
  Use when drafting or filing in the Housing Part of NYC Civil Court — the
  dedicated summary-proceedings forum for RPAPL Article 7 nonpayment and
  holdover petitions across five boroughs (largest L&T forum in country,
  ~200,000+ filings annually pre-COVID). Triggers include 'NYC Housing
  Court', 'Housing Part', 'RPAPL 711', 'nonpayment petition', 'holdover
  petition', '14-day rent demand', 'Right to Counsel NYC', 'Local Law 136',
  'ERAP stay', 'good cause eviction NYC'. Covers **RPAPL § 711(2)** 14-day
  rent-demand (post-HSTPA 2019); **RPL § 226-c** 30/60/90-day holdover notice;
  **NYC Local Law 136** universal right-to-counsel; **ERAP** automatic-stay;
  NYCHA/Section 8 termination; rent-regulated defenses; warranty-of-habitability
  counterclaims under RPL § 235-b; and **2024 Good Cause Eviction Law**. NOT
  a substitute for `ny-nyc-civil-court` (distinct calendar).
version: 0.1.2
---

# NYC Housing Court (Civil Court of the City of New York — Housing Part)

> **NOT LEGAL ADVICE.** Verify the borough-specific Housing
> Part procedures and any building-specific regulatory
> classification (Rent Stabilization, Section 8, NYCHA,
> Loft Law) before drafting an answer or petition.

## At a glance

- **Court**: Housing Part of the Civil Court of the City of
  New York — established under **NYC Civil Court Act § 110**
  with the **22 NYCRR § 208.42** Housing Part rules overlay
- **Jurisdiction**: RPAPL Article 7 summary proceedings;
  no monetary cap on rent arrears; can hear contract
  claims related to the tenancy
- **Filing fee**: **$45** for the petition (Civil Court
  Act § 1911); waivable on poor-person status under
  CPLR 1101
- **Headquarters per borough** (each Housing Part shares
  facilities with the borough Civil Court courthouse):
  - **NY County Housing Court**: 111 Centre Street, NY NY
  - **Kings Housing Court**: 141 Livingston Street, Brooklyn
  - **Bronx Housing Court**: 1118 Grand Concourse, Bronx
  - **Queens Housing Court**: 89-17 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica
  - **Richmond Housing Court**: 927 Castleton Avenue, Staten Island
- **E-filing**: **UCMS** with Housing Part-specific document
  codes; pro se filings often accepted in person at the
  clerk's office

## Petition types

The two principal summary-proceeding flavors under RPAPL
Article 7:

### Nonpayment (RPAPL § 711(2))

The landlord alleges the tenant owes rent and has not paid
after demand. Required predicate notice:

- **14-day written rent demand** (post-2019 HSTPA — was 3
  days pre-HSTPA). The demand must:
  - identify the amount due, by month
  - identify the lease provision the landlord relies on
  - be served personally or by conspicuous-place service
    under RPAPL § 735
  - **NOT** be filed before 14 days have elapsed
- An oral demand satisfies the statute only if the rent is
  current — i.e., the demand was for prospective rent —
  which is rare; written demand is the rule.
- After 14-day window, the Notice of Petition + Petition
  may be filed and served.

### Holdover (RPAPL § 711(1))

The landlord alleges the tenancy has expired or been
terminated (lease end, lease violation, no-lease tenant
holding over). Required predicate notice depends on the
tenancy length (RPL § 226-c, as amended by HSTPA 2019):

| Tenancy length | Notice period |
|---|---|
| <1 year | **30 days** |
| 1-2 years | **60 days** |
| 2+ years | **90 days** |

For lease-violation holdovers, the landlord must serve a
**Notice to Cure** specifying the violation and giving a
reasonable cure period (often 10 days for most violations
in the residential context), then a **Notice of Termination**
if not cured, before filing the holdover petition.

## Distinctives

### 14-day rent demand is jurisdictional

Service of a defective rent demand (e.g., wrong amount,
incorrect lease cite, served too soon) is a complete
defense to a nonpayment petition. Post-HSTPA case law
treats the 14-day demand requirement as jurisdictional —
the Housing Part will dismiss without prejudice rather
than excuse a defective predicate notice.

### NYC Right to Counsel (Local Law 136 of 2017)

NYC Admin Code § 26-1301 et seq. provides **universal right
to counsel** for tenants in eviction proceedings who meet
income thresholds (in 2026, 200% of federal poverty
guidelines). Coverage rolled out by ZIP code 2017-2022 and
is now citywide. Tenant attorneys assigned through:

- **Legal Aid Society Civil Practice**
- **Legal Services NYC**
- **The Bronx Defenders**
- **Brooklyn Defender Services**
- **Volunteers of Legal Service**
- **CAMBA Legal Services**
- **Mobilization for Justice**

The court's intake desk routes pending RTC referrals at
first appearance. Pro se tenants should request a referral
before answering on the merits.

### ERAP (Emergency Rental Assistance Program) — automatic stay

A pending ERAP application **automatically stays** an
eviction proceeding under L 2021, ch 56 / Part BB. The stay
runs from the date of application through agency
determination. The landlord cannot proceed to judgment while
the stay is active. Verify ERAP application status (NYS
OTDA) before any motion or trial.

### Rent regulation overlays

NYC rent regulation includes overlapping schemes — verify
applicability before drafting:

- **Rent Stabilization** — pre-1974 buildings with 6+ units;
  registration with DHCR; tenants have renewal rights under
  9 NYCRR § 2521.5 and the post-HSTPA **6-year overcharge
  lookback** under RSL § 26-516
- **Rent Control** — pre-1947 buildings; vanishingly few
  units remain; max-base-rent and capital-improvement caps
- **Loft Law** — pre-1980 industrial buildings converted
  to residential; coverage determined by NY State Loft Board
- **NYCHA** — public housing; federal grievance-procedure
  preempts much state L&T law
- **Section 8** — voucher tenants; "good cause" termination
  required under federal regulations
- **Mitchell-Lama** — middle-income limited-equity coops /
  rentals; HCR-administered

### Warranty of habitability counterclaim (RPL § 235-b)

Tenants routinely raise an implied warranty of habitability
counterclaim seeking rent abatement for conditions
(infestations, lack of heat/hot water, mold, leaks). The
abatement is calculated as a percentage of the rent for the
period of impairment. The Housing Part has dedicated
**Repair Parts** that hear consolidated habitability
applications.

### 2024 Good Cause Eviction (NYC opt-in plus statewide)

RPL Article 6-A took effect April 2024. In NYC, applies
**by default** to most market-rate units. The landlord must
have **good cause** for non-renewal of an unregulated
tenancy. "Good cause" grounds:

- Non-payment after notice and cure right
- Lease violation
- Landlord recovering for personal/family use
- Removing unit from rental market
- Tenant nuisance

The law **caps unreasonable rent increases** at the greater
of **10%** or **5% + CPI**. Increases above the cap are
presumptively unreasonable and the tenant can challenge in
Housing Court.

### Pathway Home + diversion programs

Several NYC programs route Housing Part cases to mediation
or rental-assistance before judgment — Pathway Home, the
HRA One-Shot Deal, FHEPS rental subsidies, CityFHEPS.
Verify program eligibility for the tenant at first
appearance.

## Filing checklist (landlord side)

1. **Predicate notice** — 14-day rent demand or 30/60/90-day
   holdover notice, served per RPAPL § 735
2. **Notice of Petition + Petition** — RPAPL § 731-732,
   served by RPAPL § 735 (5-day rapid service or conspicuous-
   place with mail follow-up)
3. **Filing fee** — $45; submit affidavit of service
4. **First appearance** — typically 10-17 days from service;
   tenant may answer in writing or orally
5. **Adjournments** for RTC referral and ERAP stay are
   routine

## Filing checklist (tenant side)

1. **Verify regulation** — Rent Stabilization, Section 8,
   NYCHA, Loft Law status before drafting answer
2. **Request RTC referral** at first appearance — NYC Admin
   Code § 26-1301 universal right to counsel
3. **Check ERAP** — automatic stay if application pending
4. **Affirmative defenses + counterclaims**:
   - Defective predicate notice
   - Defective service (RPAPL § 735 hyper-technical
     requirements)
   - Warranty of habitability under RPL § 235-b
   - Retaliatory eviction under RPL § 223-b
   - HSTPA security-deposit cap violation (GOL § 7-108(1-a))
   - Good Cause Eviction protection for unregulated tenancies
   - NYC HRL / NYS HRL discrimination
   - Rent overcharge under RSL § 26-516 (6-year lookback)
5. **Pre-answer relief**: motion to dismiss for defective
   predicate notice or service under CPLR 3211

## Composition with other ny- skills

- `ny-statewide-format` — baseline 22 NYCRR Part 202 format
  with Part 208 Civil Court / § 208.42 Housing Part adjustments
- `ny-nyc-civil-court` — the parent Civil Court structure
- `ny-county-courts` — Long Island L&T routes to Nassau /
  Suffolk District Court Housing Parts (see `ny-nassau-dc`,
  `ny-suffolk-dc`); upstate routes to City Court / Justice
  Court (see `ny-city-courts`, `ny-justice-courts`)
- `ny-landlord-tenant` — comprehensive L&T subject bundle
  (RPAPL + HSTPA + Good Cause + warranty of habitability +
  rent regulation regimes)
- `ny-first-30-days` — Answer / motion-to-dismiss triage
- `ny-pro-se` — pro se framework
- `ny-discovery` — disclosure in summary proceedings (limited
  by default; available with court permission)
- `ny-file-packet` — UCMS / Housing Part assembly

## Pro-se resources

- **NYC Tenant Helpline**: 311 → Tenant Support
- **Right to Counsel referral** at every Housing Part intake
  desk
- **Met Council on Housing** — tenant counseling
- **CityFHEPS / FHEPS** — rental subsidy applications
- **Pathway Home** — pre-judgment mediation / settlement
- **Office of the Public Advocate** — Tenant Rights hotline
- **Legal Aid Society Civil Practice** — direct legal aid