Do you know your tenant rights? A new initiative from Mayor Eric Adams looks to put an end to illegal evictions by educating and providing resources to New Yorkers who rent.
Announced late last month at Mayor Adams’ state of city address, the new Tenant Protection Cabinet will bring together more than a dozen city agencies to provide support to those who may be facing an illegal eviction, also known as an illegal lockout.
One of those agencies, the Public Engagement Unit (PEU), regularly canvasses the city’s neighborhoods with residents most at-risk for illegal lockouts, educating renters on their rights as tenants and how avoid an illegal lockout.
On a recent winter day, members of the PEU canvassed East New York and Cypress Hills, the latter with a 11208 zip code that tops the list of court filings for illegal lockouts in Brooklyn. Over 80% of residents in this area are Black and Hispanic residents, according to the city-data.com.
Tenant support specialists handed out flyers and knocked on doors throughout the area, informing residents of their rights and instructing them on how to get help if they face harassment or illegal eviction.
Zip codes 11208, 11233, 11207 and 11212, all in eastern Brooklyn, are the top four zip codes in the borough for illegal lockouts, according to case filings compiled by the city. From 2020 to 2023, each of these zip codes had approximately 100 illegal lockouts.
“One of the biggest challenges with unlawful evictions is that many tenants don't know what rights they have,” said Adrienne Lever, director of the Public Engagement Unit. “They won't even report when their landlord has legally locked them out or ask them to leave with an unofficial notice of eviction.”
Lever stresses that many renters don’t know that an eviction notice must be signed by a judge in an official court filing. A landlord cannot simply demand a tenant to leave. Because many residents don’t know this, they might willingly leave their apartment when it is not necessary.
If you are locked out of your apartment by a landlord without a formal court order, Lever says you should call 911 immediately. You can also call 311 and ask for the Tenant Helpline.
Before an illegal eviction, renters often are exposed to bullying behavior from landlords that they may not even recognize as harassment. When landlors don't make repairs, intentionally turn off water, heat, or electricity, and call or visit incessantly are all unlawful and considered harassment, according to Lever.
“Anything that's going to cause distress the tenant is considered harassment,” said Maya Eatman, a tenant support specialist with the PEU. “We really want to support our tenants and let them know that they don't have to live with that.”
