A good portion of my practice is devoted to affordably helping fight for the rights of tenants. Tenants enjoy robust protections in the State of New York for good reason. Too often bad landlords take advantage of their tenants, do not return deposits, do not make repairs, or worse. I pride myself on working closely with my clients throughout the entire process. I realize that the implications of having challenges with your landlord are often serious and overwhelming. Without laws in place to protect tenants, the rental market would be the lawless wild west. Although that sounds like a gratuitous iteration, it is not. Sadly, even with strong tenant rights in place, some Landlords are still very comfortable breaking the laws in place to protect tenants. Some landlords are so comfortable with breaking the law that they’ll attempt to do it, even when they are put on notice. At that point, my office takes all available evidence and goes to court on behalf of our clients. Although, generally, with an attorney on your side most landlords acting improperly will stop their lawless acts.
Not All Issues Require an Attorney Not every issue you have with your landlord will require an attorney. Many landlords are good with repairs and are responsive. Sometimes all it takes is a phone call, email, or reminder and the problem is solved. For some issues, you can simply call 311 (within New York City) and report the issue. However, when things start becoming strange and unusual, it’s always in your best interest to begin the process of lawyering up.
Other Issues Require an Attorney Consider hiring an attorney when the following is occurring: an Illegal Lockout, Landlord Harassment, an Illegal Eviction, a Breach of the Warranty of Habitability, Landlord Refusing to Mitigate Damages, Landlord Improperly withholding your Deposit, a Landlord Overcharging You, and More. If you are having these kinds of issues, it is time for you to reach out to an attorney, hire one, and start moving forward with a plan of action meant to preserve your rights. Working with an attorney will help you document what you must, give notice where you should, make demands where necessary, and present it all to the court when all else fails. If you find yourself in any of the situations mentioned above, or even in a situation not mentioned, please feel free to reach out to my office to discuss your options. I serve Nassau, Suffolk, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island, and beyond.
You can reach me by phone at 516-226-2326.
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