Tenants Rights Resources

These are governmental and non-government organizations who work to protect tenants and promote affordable housing in NYC. This is by no means an exhaustive list as there are hundreds of such organizations in NYC.

City Wide

These organizations operate on a city-wide level.

• Asian Americans For Equality

  AFE is committed to preserving affordable housing throughout New York and to providing new opportunities for the city’s diverse immigrant communities.

• Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development

  Affordable Housing and Community Development organization. Runs trainings on tenants rights.

• Churches United For Fair Housing

  Brooklyn based organization that organizes towards preserving and creating vibrant communities that are not exclusive and are really affordable to working families in New York City.

• Eviction Intervention Services

  Performs homelessness prevention by keeping residents in their communities, preserving existing affordable housing, and promoting and supporting the construction of affordable housing for low, moderate and middle-income households in NYC.

• Make The Road New York

  Works with Latino and working class communities to achieve dignity and justice through organizing, policy innovation, transformative education, and survival services.

• Metropolitan Council on Housing

  Operates a number of tenant-assistance programs including a tenants' rights telephone hotline and a walk-in clinic, which serve thousands per year and are free and open to any New York City tenant.

• MFY Legal Services Inc.

  Provides free legal assistance to residents of New York City on a wide range of civil legal issues, prioritizing services to vulnerable and under-served populations.

• Picture the Homeless

  Works to advocate for affordable housing and performs outreach for homeless NYC residents.

• Rent Logic

  Rentlogic helps people find out everything about an apartment before they sign a lease, including mold, bedbugs, vermin or if the landlord has a history of tenant harassment.

• Right To The City Alliance

  Works to prevent the displacement of low-income people, people of color, and LGBTQ persons. Operates nationally.

• Stabilizing NYC

  Stabilizing NYC is a coalition comprised of fourteen grassroots neighborhood-based organizations, a citywide legal service provider and a citywide housing advocacy organization who have come together to combat tenant harassment and preserve affordable housing for the New Yorkers who need it most. This project combines legal, advocacy and organizing resources into a citywide network to help tenants take their predatory equity landlords to task for patchwork repairs, bogus eviction cases, and affirmative harassment.

• Tenants and Neighbors

  Helps tenants organize at the building and community level to preserve at-risk affordable housing.

• Urban Homesteading Assistance Board

  Helps low to moderate income residents to take control of their housing and enhance their communities by creating strong tenant associations and lasting affordable co-ops.

By Borough

These organizations operate within a particular borough.

• Brooklyn Housing And Family Services, Inc.

  Works to provide Brooklyn residents with safe and affordable housing through outreach and counseling services.

• Bronx Shepherds Restoration Corporation

  Provides affordable housing, community programs and many other service to residents of the Bronx community.

• Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A

  Provides high-quality legal assistance to low-income individuals and community groups in Brooklyn.

• Queens Community House, Inc.

  Helps all Queens residents with affordable housing and community development.

• Neighborhood Housing Services of Staten Island

  Promotes affordable housing and safety of residents in Staten Island / Richmond County.

By Neighborhood

These organizations operate with a specific neighborhood or catchment area.

• Carroll Gardens Association

  Develops affordable/workforce housing and provides economic development, workforce training, youth services, tenant services and benefits assistance to the residents of Southwest Brooklyn.

• Cooper Square Committee

  Helps organize tenants in the Cooper Square neighborhood of the East Village.

• Crown Heights Tenants Union

  A union of Tenant Associations, that began meeting in October 2013 in response to rampant gentrification, displacement, and illegal rental overcharges in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

• East New York Urban Youth Corps

  Neighborhood-based, non-profit community development organization serving East New York, Brooklyn.

• El Barrio's Operation Fight Back

  Renovates, manages and provides affordable housing, supportive services, education, advocacy and economic development opportunities for low-income families in East Harlem.

• Fifth Avenue Committee, Inc.

  Helps tenants and promotes community development in south Brooklyn and lower Park Slope.

• Flatbush Development Corp.

  Performs community development and affordable housing in Flatbush, Brooklyn.

• Manhattan Valley Development Corporation

  Provides safe, decent housing that low income families and individuals can afford in Manhattan Valley and throughout Upper Manhattan.

• Neighborhood Housing Services of NYC, Inc.

  Community-based organization with targeted impact in the following Neighborhoods: Bedford-Stuyvesant, East Flatbush, North Bronx, Northern Queens, and South Bronx.

• North West Bushwick Community Group

  Helps tenants in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn fight illegal evictions and promotes the preservation and development of truly affordable housing.

• Pratt Area Community Council

  Promotes affordable housing and small business development in central Brooklyn.

• St. Nicholas Neighborhood Preservation Corporation

  Helps to preserve and rebuild the Williamsburg-Greenpoint neighborhood to the benefit of its low- and moderate-income residents.

• University Neighborhood Housing Program

  A nonprofit organization working to create, preserve, and finance affordable housing in the Northwest Bronx.

• Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation

  Community development organization that builds affordable housing and promotes community development in the south Bronx.

Government Resources

These are links to websites of departments operating within the state and city levels of government that relate to housing and property ownership in NYC.

• New York Department of Homes and Community Renewal

  Where you may file a complaint for a rent over charge and ask for advice on housing related issues. You may also speak with them in person at a local HCR Office.

• NYC Automated City Register Information System

  Look up property transaction information such as when a property was bought and sold by whom.

• NYC Department of Buildings

  Look up building permits and violations.

• NYC DRIE

  Tenants that qualify for the NYC Rent Freeze Program for Tenants with Disabilities (DRIE) can have their rent frozen and be exempt from future rent increases.

• NYC Housing Connect

  Search for and be notified of new affordable housing in NYC. Many new buildings in NYC are required by law to have a portion of their units rented below market rate. To qualify to rent these units you must meet certain income criteria.

• NYC Housing Preservation and Development

  The NYC agency that oversees preserving the stability and affordability of our existing housing stock. You may also find housing violations by building address here.

• NYC Rent Guidelines Board

  Important info for renters in NYC.

• NYC SCRIE

  Tenants who qualify for the NYC Rent Freeze Program for Seniors (SCRIE) can have their rent frozen and be exempt from future rent increases.