Buffalo tenants are protected from landlord harassment under NY Real Property Law and the city's anti-discrimination ordinance (Ch. 218), with intentional intimidation, utility shutoffs, or repeated unwanted entries treated as illegal eviction tactics.
NY Real Property Law §768 and Buffalo Code Ch. 218 (Anti-Discrimination) together prohibit landlord harassment intended to drive tenants from rent-stabilized or long-term tenancies. Prohibited acts include shutting off heat, water, or electricity, changing locks without court order, threatening immigration reporting, repeated unannounced entries, and verbal abuse. NY classifies certain harassment as a Class A misdemeanor with criminal penalties. Buffalo's Right to Counsel pilot provides legal representation for tenants pursuing harassment claims, and the city's Commission on Citizens' Rights and Community Relations accepts discrimination-tinged harassment complaints alongside Erie County legal aid.
Intentional service shutoffs, lockouts, or repeated unauthorized entries to coerce tenant departure constitute Class A misdemeanors under NY law and trigger civil damages plus injunctive relief.
Buffalo, NY
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Buffalo, NY
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See how Buffalo's tenant anti-harassment rules stack up against other locations.
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