Rental Property Rules in New York (2026)
79 rules on the books across New York, 28 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Rent Control
Local limits on how much landlords can raise rent each year, including which properties are covered and exemptions for newer buildings.
Just Cause Eviction
Protections requiring landlords to have a valid reason to evict tenants, such as nonpayment of rent, lease violations, or owner move-in.
New York: statewide
StatewideHeavy RestrictionsNew York's Good Cause Eviction Law (RPL Article 6-A) limits evictions and rent hikes for covered tenants in NYC by…
Read full rule →New Rochelle
Significant RestrictionsNew Rochelle opted into New York's Good Cause Eviction statute on October 21, 2025 through Local Law No. 6-2025…
Read full rule →Rochester
Significant RestrictionsRochester opted into New York's 2024 Good Cause Eviction Law by local law, effective citywide unless a unit is exempt…
Read full rule →Rental Registration
Requirements for landlords to register rental properties with the city, including inspection programs, fees, and occupancy standards.
Amherst
Significant RestrictionsOwners of rental housing in the Town of Amherst must obtain a rental dwelling unit registration certificate from the…
Read full rule →Babylon
Significant RestrictionsTown of Babylon requires a rental permit before any residential unit not owner-occupied, from single rooms to…
Read full rule →Brookhaven
Significant RestrictionsNo one may rent out a Brookhaven dwelling without first obtaining a rental registration from the Chief Building…
Read full rule →Buffalo
Significant RestrictionsAll rental dwelling units in Buffalo must be registered annually with the City. Registration requires paying an initial…
Read full rule →Cheektowaga
Significant RestrictionsEvery non-owner-occupied rental unit in Cheektowaga must carry a property owner registration certificate before it's…
Read full rule →Glen Cove
Significant RestrictionsGlen Cove requires every owner of a one- or two-family rental unit to register with the Building Department, and it is…
Read full rule →Greece
Significant RestrictionsEvery rental property in the Town of Greece, other than an owner-occupied home with three or fewer units, must have a…
Read full rule →Hempstead
Significant RestrictionsIn the Town of Hempstead (outside its incorporated villages), no one may rent out a dwelling unit without first…
Read full rule →New Rochelle
Significant RestrictionsNew Rochelle requires every one-family, two-family, three-family or multiple-family dwelling that houses three or more…
Read full rule →North Hempstead
Significant RestrictionsNorth Hempstead owners cannot let a tenant move into a rental unit without first filing a rental registration form with…
Read full rule →Saratoga Springs
Significant RestrictionsSaratoga Springs requires an annual license before anyone rents a dwelling for fewer than 30 consecutive days. City…
Read full rule →Schenectady
Significant RestrictionsEvery owner of a Schenectady rental property must file a sworn landlord registration statement with the Building…
Read full rule →Syracuse
Significant RestrictionsSyracuse landlords must obtain a rental registry certificate for every non-owner-occupied one- and two-family dwelling…
Read full rule →Albany
Some RestrictionsEvery rental dwelling unit in Albany must be registered with the Department of Buildings and Regulatory Compliance…
Read full rule →Clarkstown
Some RestrictionsEvery owner of a one- or two-family rental dwelling in Clarkstown must register it with the Building Department within…
Read full rule →Mount Vernon
Some RestrictionsEvery absentee owner of real property in Mount Vernon, meaning anyone who is not a permanent city resident or a…
Read full rule →New York
Some RestrictionsOwners of multiple dwellings and non-owner-occupied 1-2 family homes must file an annual registration statement with…
Read full rule →Relocation Assistance
Required tenant relocation payments for no-fault evictions and Ellis Act withdrawals, typical amounts, qualifying triggers, and how cities enforce payment.
New York
Some RestrictionsWhen a city agency orders a privately owned building vacated for health, safety, or maintenance violations, HPD must…
Read full rule →Rochester
Some RestrictionsWhen a Rochester landlord performs lead-based paint hazard reduction work that requires occupants to leave their unit…
Read full rule →Syracuse
Light RestrictionsSyracuse's Residential Antidisplacement and Relocation Assistance Plan requires the city to replace low- and…
Read full rule →Security Deposit Rules
Caps on how much landlords may collect as security deposits, return deadlines, itemized-deduction requirements, and tenant remedies for wrongfully withheld deposits.
New York: statewide
StatewideHeavy RestrictionsSince the 2019 Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act, New York landlords cannot collect a security deposit larger…
Read full rule →Albany
Heavy RestrictionsAlbany landlords are governed by New York state law on security deposits. Under §7-108, added by the Housing Stability…
Read full rule →Cash-for-Keys Agreements
Rules around buyout agreements where landlords pay tenants to vacate, including required disclosures, cooling-off periods, and city filing requirements.
No-Fault Evictions
Allowable no-fault eviction grounds (owner move-in, Ellis Act, substantial remodel) and the relocation/notice obligations that come with each.
Orange County
Significant RestrictionsLocal Law No. 7 of 1989 bars mobile home park owners from evicting a mobile home owner except for six listed grounds…
Read full rule →Rockland County
Some RestrictionsRockland County limits mobile home park evictions to six enumerated grounds under Code § 302-3: rent default…
Read full rule →Pass-Through Charges
Rules limiting landlord ability to pass utility, capital improvement, or seismic-retrofit costs through to rent-controlled tenants, and the petition process.
Tenant Anti-Harassment
Cities like LA prohibit specific landlord conduct (lockouts, utility shutoffs, threats), penalties, private right of action, and how to document violations.
New York
Significant RestrictionsNew York City's Housing Maintenance Code bans landlords from pressuring tenants out through threats, service cutoffs…
Read full rule →Buffalo
Some RestrictionsBuffalo's Fair Housing Ordinance prohibits landlords or others from retaliating against or harassing tenants who file…
Read full rule →Source-of-Income Discrimination
Rules barring landlords from refusing to rent to applicants because of Section 8 vouchers, SSI, or other lawful income, protected categories and remedies.
Buffalo
Heavy RestrictionsBuffalo's Fair Housing Ordinance (Chapter 154, Article IV) prohibits landlords from refusing to sell or rent housing…
Read full rule →Nassau County
Heavy RestrictionsNassau County's Open Housing Law bars landlords from refusing to rent, negotiate, or lease housing because a tenant's…
Read full rule →Rockland County
Heavy RestrictionsRockland County Code § 261-3 makes it unlawful, countywide in every town and village, for landlords, brokers, and…
Read full rule →New York
Significant RestrictionsNYC landlords cannot refuse to rent, or otherwise discriminate, because a tenant pays with Section 8, CityFHEPS, or…
Read full rule →Rochester
Significant RestrictionsRochester's Human Rights Code bars landlords, brokers and their agents from refusing to rent, or from treating a tenant…
Read full rule →Suffolk County
Significant RestrictionsSuffolk County law makes it illegal for landlords, sellers, and agents to refuse housing, land, or commercial space…
Read full rule →Syracuse
Significant RestrictionsSyracuse landlords cannot refuse to rent to, or otherwise discriminate against, an applicant or tenant because of a…
Read full rule →Westchester County
Significant RestrictionsThe county's Fair Housing Law bars landlords, brokers and agents from refusing tenants because their income includes…
Read full rule →Section 8 Voucher Acceptance
Landlord obligations when accepting Housing Choice Vouchers, including HACLA inspection, lease addenda, and rent reasonableness.
Buffalo
Heavy RestrictionsBuffalo's Fair Housing Ordinance explicitly lists Section 8 vouchers as a protected lawful source of income; landlords…
Read full rule →Nassau County
Significant RestrictionsNassau County landlords cannot refuse to rent to a tenant because their rent is paid through Section 8 or another…
Read full rule →New York
Significant RestrictionsNew York City landlords cannot refuse to rent, discriminate in lease terms, or advertise against tenants because they…
Read full rule →Suffolk County
Significant RestrictionsSuffolk County's Human Rights Law bars landlords, sellers and lenders from refusing housing or setting worse terms…
Read full rule →Amherst
Few RestrictionsThe Town of Amherst excuses landlords from its rental dwelling unit registration law for properties covered by the Erie…
Read full rule →Mold Disclosure
Landlord obligations to disclose known mold conditions before lease signing, plus tenant remedies when mold is discovered or made worse during a tenancy.
Rent Increase Notice
How much advance written notice a landlord must give before raising the rent on a month-to-month or expiring lease, and how state notice rules differ from any local rent-control caps.
New York: statewide
StatewideHeavy RestrictionsNew York requires advance written notice before a landlord raises rent 5% or more, or declines to renew a lease. The…
Read full rule →Buffalo
Some RestrictionsBuffalo landlords must give tenants advance written notice before raising rent five percent or more, or declining to…
Read full rule →Islip
Some RestrictionsNew York Real Property Law 226-c governs Islip. A landlord raising rent 5% or more, or declining to renew, must give…
Read full rule →New York
Some RestrictionsIn New York City, a landlord who plans to raise the rent by 5% or more, or to not renew a tenancy, must give written…
Read full rule →Repairs & Habitability
The implied warranty of habitability, how long a landlord has to fix essential services (heat, water, plumbing, mold), and tenant remedies such as repair-and-deduct, rent withholding, or breaking the lease.
New York: statewide
StatewideHeavy RestrictionsReal Property Law Section 235-b imposes an implied warranty of habitability in every residential lease. Premises must…
Read full rule →Buffalo
Significant RestrictionsBuffalo can condemn and placard any dwelling as unfit for human habitation when it fails a Housing Standards Code…
Read full rule →Cheektowaga
Significant RestrictionsCheektowaga ties its rental registration certificate to livability: the Town can deny or revoke a landlord's property…
Read full rule →Clarkstown
Significant RestrictionsClarkstown's Housing Standards chapter sets minimum room sizes, light, ventilation and occupancy limits for every…
Read full rule →Greece
Significant RestrictionsA Town of Greece rental property must substantially conform to the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building…
Read full rule →Albany
Some RestrictionsAlbany's Housing Code makes property owners responsible for maintaining their buildings and service facilities, and…
Read full rule →Amherst
Some RestrictionsEvery occupied or unoccupied rental structure in the Town of Amherst must meet the Property Maintenance Code's minimum…
Read full rule →Babylon
Some RestrictionsTown of Babylon rental permits require roofs, sidewalks, sewer/septic systems and landscaping to be kept in good, safe…
Read full rule →Brookhaven
Some RestrictionsBrookhaven's Neighborhood Preservation law, Chapter 82, sets minimum habitability standards for every dwelling unit in…
Read full rule →Glen Cove
Some RestrictionsGlen Cove's Housing Standards ordinance requires every residential rental property to be maintained in a clean, safe…
Read full rule →Hempstead
Some RestrictionsHempstead's Housing and Rehabilitation Code bars anyone from occupying or renting out a dwelling unit that lacks a…
Read full rule →Huntington
Some RestrictionsHuntington's Chapter 124 Housing Standards and Property Maintenance code makes it unlawful to rent, lease, sublease or…
Read full rule →Islip
Some RestrictionsIslip's Property Maintenance chapter sets minimum habitability standards for residential properties, including a hard…
Read full rule →Mount Vernon
Some RestrictionsMount Vernon landlords must keep multiple dwellings heated and supplied with hot water under City Code Chapter 149. The…
Read full rule →New Rochelle
Some RestrictionsNew Rochelle's Housing Code sets minimum habitability standards for every dwelling, covering heat, water, ventilation…
Read full rule →New York
Some RestrictionsNYC landlords must keep apartments at 68°F during the day and 62°F overnight from October 1 through May 31 whenever…
Read full rule →North Hempstead
Some RestrictionsTown Code Chapter 28's Housing, Rehabilitation and Property Maintenance Code sets minimum occupancy, space, heat…
Read full rule →Oneida
Some RestrictionsThe City of Oneida, Madison County, New York requires landlords to keep rental units safe and livable under Housing…
Read full rule →Orange County
Some RestrictionsBefore an Orange County rental can be lawfully occupied, Article III of the Sanitary Code requires a kitchen sink, a…
Read full rule →Oyster Bay
Some RestrictionsOyster Bay's Housing Standards chapter sets hard numbers for habitable rental space: 7-foot-6 ceilings over half the…
Read full rule →Rochester
Some RestrictionsRochester applies the New York State Property Maintenance Code to every existing building in the city and makes the…
Read full rule →Schenectady
Some RestrictionsSchenectady's Housing Standards chapter requires every installation, alteration and repair on residential premises to…
Read full rule →Syracuse
Some RestrictionsSyracuse's Property Conservation Code requires landlords to keep habitable rooms, bathrooms and kitchens at 68°F…
Read full rule →Westchester County
Some RestrictionsWestchester County's housing code requires owners furnishing heat to maintain dwellings at no less than 68 degrees…
Read full rule →Yonkers
Some RestrictionsYonkers City Code § 58-21 bars occupying or renting any dwelling unit that falls short of its space rules: at least 150…
Read full rule →Late Fees & Grace Periods
Whether late rent fees are capped, any required grace period before a fee can be charged, and limits on bounced-check (NSF) and other add-on charges under state law.
Lease Termination & Notice to Vacate
Notice required to end a month-to-month tenancy, the rules and penalties for breaking a fixed-term lease early, and early-termination protections for active-duty military, domestic-violence survivors, and medical hardships.
Eviction Notice & Process
The notice a landlord must give before filing to evict, pay-or-quit and cure-or-quit periods, no-cause termination notice, how long the court eviction process takes in this state, and the tenant's options to respond or cure.
Squatter's Rights & Adverse Possession
When an occupant without a lease gains legal protections, the line between a trespasser and a squatter, how many years of continuous possession adverse possession requires in this state, and how an owner lawfully removes a squatter.