New York Real Property Law Section 235 and Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law Section 768 prohibit Westchester landlords from harassing tenants through utility shutoffs, repeated baseless lawsuits, or threats intended to force the tenant to vacate.
RPAPL Section 768, enacted as part of the 2019 HSTPA, makes unlawful eviction a class A misdemeanor in Westchester. Prohibited conduct includes shutting off heat, hot water, or electricity; changing locks without a court order; physically removing tenant property; and filing repeated baseless eviction proceedings. RPL Section 235-d applies the same protections to ETPA-stabilized buildings in Yonkers, Mount Vernon, and Westchester ETPA villages. Tenants may seek injunctive relief, compensatory damages, and civil penalties up to $10,000 per violation through the NY Attorney General's Housing Protection Unit.
Harassment exposes landlords to criminal misdemeanor charges, civil penalties up to $10,000 per violation, treble damages, and attorney-fee awards.
See how Mount Vernon's tenant anti-harassment rules stack up against other locations.
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