As a tenant, you can hire a Brooklyn tenant attorney and bring legal action against the landlord for unethical practices. These include a lack of services, for example, shutting off utilities or removing amenities such as the bathroom (and not replacing them asap). Tenants should note any dangerous conditions or unsafe construction around their homes.

Brooklyn Tenants have the right to live in clean, safe apartments through the “warranty of habitability” that automatically falls under your lease. This warranty includes a duty for the Landlord to make repairs and cover the public areas around the building.

Brooklyn landlords cannot raise your rent based on discrimination. They cannot retaliate with a rent increase if you have legitimate complaints/issues and decide to exercise your legal rights.

Unless they have a specific court order, Landlords cannot easily cut off your water, heat, or electricity. By law, a property owner must provide hot water 365 days a year, with a minimum temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Landlords must give you heat between October 1st and May 31st, i.e., “Heat Season.”

New York State Laws cover rent-related issues and set laws, including the notice landlords must provide for rent increases and how much time tenants have to pay or move before the landlord files for eviction. Different rules apply to rent-controlled or stabilized properties. The State Laws also address rent control and rent stabilization matters in over 50 New York communities.