My landlord

Many New Yorkers have had trouble keeping up with rent payments this year. You are not alone. If you get court papers from your landlord claiming you owe back rent (arrears), don’t panic.
· Make note of how you got the papers.
· See whether you agree with the amount the landlord claims you owe.
· See whether you agree with the months the landlord claims you owe rent for.
· Are there repairs that need to be done in your apartment? If so, make a detailed list of them.
· Ask yourself if you are able to pay some of or the entire amount of back rent owed. This is an important question.
· At this point, you may wish to consult an experienced attorney at www.outerbridgelaw.com to assist you. We have helped many tenants with similar situations.
· No fewer than fourteen days after you receive the initial letter demanding back rent, you may receive papers stamped by the Housing Court in your borough.
· Again, at this point, you may wish to consult an experienced attorney at www.outerbridgelaw.com to assist you. We have helped many tenants with similar situations.
· Ultimately, you will have to answer the papers. You can do this through an attorney. We do not advise doing this all by yourself. You may miss some important defenses.
· If you choose to answer on your own – again we advise against this – you can currently do so by phone. There are different numbers for each borough; some boroughs have more than one number to deal with the volume of tenants calling.
· In normal times, answering would get you a first court date. That may happen in some cases, but even if it does, there is such a tremendous backlog of cases, it likely won’t be for a while.
· Let’s assume you agree at least some back rent is owed. If you can’t pay it all yourself – for whatever reason – assistance may be available. A good place to start looking for assistance with getting money to pay the back rent is the Housing Court Answers Hotline at 212-962-4795. You may also seek a one shot deal or explore if you qualify for Covid rent relief.

#photocred Toa Heftiba