Tenant Help!
Click here for the Rent Wars online
forums. You can ask questions about your situation and compare notes with
others.
If you would like email notification of updates signup at the
bottom of the page.
Heat Requirements
From October 1st to May 31st
6am - 10pm If outside temperature is less than 55 degrees, inside
must be more than 68 degrees.
10pm - 6am If outside temperature is less than 40 degrees,
inside temperature must be more than 55 degrees.
Call 311 to register a complaint and request an inspection.
What to do if you are sued in Housing Court
........Someday this section will
feature Ronin's tips for fighting in court and his guide to bringing your housing
related issues to the cleaner Federal Courts (if appropriate), but until then
he offers this advice:
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Always, absolutely always, submit a written answer in the slimy Housing
Court. In Manhattan they give out a form for this, make sure to clearly
highlight your affirmative defenses. In Brooklyn, they will refuse to accept
written answers from "non-attorneys". This is illegal, but the
way around it without a fight is to tell them to attach your pre-prepared
answer to their "oral answer" form and check other answer and
have them write in "See attached verified answer."
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ALWAYS HIGHLIGHT YOUR AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSES. Affirmative defenses are things
like, no heat, no hot water, overcharges, and harassment.
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Go to the Rent Wars online forums
and post a help request. You will get a response within 5 days.
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Go to Tenant.net (http://www.tenant.net)
for more advice on Housing Court. They are simply the best advice site for
pro se tenants. They feature decisions, guide books, and statutes. It is
an equalizer and a fantastic resource. Once our how-to guides are posted,
we will show some of our tips for how to use Tenant.net to maximum effect
along with other online legal resources. (Our first guide should be up someday).
Another helpful site is the City Wide Task Force on Housing (http://www.cwtfhc.org)
website which includes information for tenants in multiple languages and
has online copies of the information distributed in court at their Housing
Information Tables.
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Get interactive help from tenant advisors: Met Council, 1:30pm to 5pm,
Mondays and Wednesdays, (212) 979-0611. City-Wide Task Force on Housing,
2pm to 5pm, Monday through Friday, (212) 982-5512, FAX (212) 982-3036
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Listen to Housing Notebook every Monday from 8pm to 9pm on WBAI, 99.5FM.
The host, attorney Scott Sommers of the Met Council, often fields questions
from his call-in listeners.
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Watch every episode of Rent Wars News and use the Rent Wars online
forums to let us know about abuse by court personnel, marshals, landlord
attorneys, etc. Watch the animated Rent Wars: Ronin to learn about law while
being entertained.
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It is a good idea to get help from several sources and to compare them
as well. Often the advice of two or more is more complete than any one source.
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Last but not least, consult a tenants lawyer. Even if you can't afford
to hire a lawyer to represent you, you would most likely greatly benefit
from a consultation with an attorney that is familiar with tenant law and
who could review your case and advise you. Limited legal services are also
available for certain poor people free of charge. Click
here for a list of attorneys and advice on how to select and keep a lawyer.
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If you are unable to have an attorney represent you, procedural advice
from the pro se attorneys who work in the court house. They are generally
not allowed to advise you on the substance of your case, but they can help
you navigate the maze of the courthouse and figure out what papers you need
to file. One big disadvantage is that they usually have long lines of other
tenants seeking help.
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notices by email.
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