New York Landlord-Tenant Law 2026: The Plain-English Guide
New York rewrote its landlord-tenant law in 2019 with the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act (HSTPA), then added statewide Good Cause Eviction protections in 2024. The result: strict deposit rules, long notice timelines, and eviction standards that surprise landlords coming from other states.
Security deposits (HSTPA rules)
- Cap: security deposits are limited to one month's rent statewide — no exceptions for "last month's rent" collected separately (that's now effectively prohibited too).
- Return deadline: 14 days after move-out, with an itemized statement.
- Where held: deposits must be kept in a separate, interest-bearing account, and tenants are entitled to the interest (minus a small admin fee).
- Walk-through: tenants have the right to request a pre-move-out inspection, after which you must give them an itemized list of needed repairs.
- Penalty: failure to comply can cost you up to 2x the deposit.
Use our Security Deposit Deadline Finder and deductions guide.
Rent rules
- No statewide rent control outside of NYC's rent stabilization system and a few other localities — but check local laws, especially in New York City, where the Rent Guidelines Board sets annual increase limits for stabilized units.
- Late fees: capped at the lesser of $50 or 5% of rent — one of the strictest late-fee caps in the US.
- Rent increases: for month-to-month tenants, written notice of 30/60/90 days depending on tenancy length and increase size (30 days if tenancy < 1 year or increase small; up to 90 days for long tenancies or large increases).
See how to raise rent legally.
Eviction in New York
New York evictions are among the slowest in the country:
1. 14-Day Rent Demand — written demand for nonpayment (up from 3 days pre-HSTPA).
2. Petition filed in Housing Court (NYC) or City/District Court elsewhere.
3. Good Cause Eviction (2024): statewide protections now require landlords to show good cause (nonpayment, lease violation, nuisance, owner use) for eviction and non-renewal in many units — with exemptions for owner-occupied buildings of 10 or fewer units and high-rent units.
4. Timeline: contested NYC cases routinely take 6–12 months; even upstate cases often take months.
Self-help eviction (lockouts, utility shutoffs) is a crime in New York — and tenants can sue for triple damages. Full process: how to evict a tenant.
Repairs and habitability
- The warranty of habitability is non-waivable. NYC adds the Housing Maintenance Code and HPD enforcement — violations get reported to 311 and fined aggressively.
- Tenants can file HP actions in Housing Court to force repairs, and courts can order rent reductions (abatements) for substandard conditions.
Entry rights
New York has no state statute specifying entry notice — but NYC and many leases require "reasonable" notice (24 hours is the standard practice). Emergency entry is always allowed. Put your policy in the lease.
Discrimination
Federal + New York State Human Rights Law + NYC Human Rights Law (the strongest local civil rights law in the US). Source of income is protected statewide — you cannot refuse Section 8 vouchers in New York.
The bottom line
New York is the highest-difficulty state for landlords: 1-month deposit caps, 14-day returns, 14-day rent demands, good-cause requirements, and eviction timelines measured in seasons, not weeks. The landlords who thrive here are the ones who screen carefully, document everything, and never skip a procedural step.
This is general information, not legal advice. NYC adds layers of local regulation — consult a New York landlord-tenant attorney for specific situations.