If you face eviction in New York City, call 311 and ask for Right to Counsel for free legal help now. Contact Homebase for eviction prevention, benefits help, and rental assistance in your borough. Right to Counsel means free representation and advice from nonprofit lawyers. According to the NYC Mayor's Public Engagement Unit, it serves tenants in every ZIP code regardless of immigration status in Housing Court and NYCHA cases through free legal help.
Table of Contents
- How to get a free eviction lawyer
- Where to find rent money and prevention help
- What to do after you receive court papers?
- What if your landlord locks you out?
How to get a free eviction lawyer
Call 311 and say Right to Counsel. The city will connect you to a nonprofit legal provider for advice or full representation. Use this help for a Housing Court case or a NYCHA proceeding.
A lawyer can explain your options, reply to papers, and appear with you. Ask early, before deadlines pass or you agree to leave. Keep your court papers, lease, rent records, and any messages from your landlord together.
Where to find rent money and prevention help
According to the NYC Human Resources Administration, Homebase operates 26 locations across five boroughs for households at risk of homelessness. It offers eviction prevention, short-term emergency funding, benefits help, financial counseling, mediation, and a personalized stability plan.
Tenants at risk of eviction or shelter entry can also seek rental help through Homebase or Housing Assistance Program partners. According to the NYC Human Resources Administration, options include CityFHEPS, a city rent supplement that pays part of eligible tenants' rent to help them find and keep housing through rental assistance programs.
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What to do after you receive court papers?
According to the New York State Unified Court System, a tenant served with a nonpayment petition must answer within 10 days after receiving the notice of petition through answering rules for NYC Housing Court. Answer in person at the Housing Court Clerk's office or in writing.
You must still appear and not miss the court date. Housing Court Answers, a nonprofit operating for over 40 years, explains court procedure, rent-arrears help, and homelessness prevention. It staffs courthouse Information Tables and runs a hotline at 212-962-4795 for unrepresented tenants and small homeowners.
- Answer within 10 days after you receive the notice of petition.
- Answer at the Clerk's office in person or file a written answer.
- Appear on your court date and bring rent records and proof of payments.
What if your landlord locks you out?
A landlord cannot evict you verbally, by letter, or by lockout. According to the NYC Mayor's Public Engagement Unit, only a Marshal or Sheriff carrying out a judge-signed Eviction Order after Housing Court can remove a tenant, and lockouts plus utility shutoffs to force departure are illegal through illegal lockout protections.
If you are locked out, call 911 immediately because a lockout is a misdemeanor. Then call 311 for a Tenant Helpline referral and go to your borough Housing Court to file an Order to Show Cause for emergency restoration to possession.
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