In NYC, tenants 60 and older facing eviction qualify for a free lawyer

If you’re 60 or older and your landlord takes you to New York City Housing Court to evict you or end your tenancy, the law makes you eligible for full legal representation at no cost, whatever your income. The city’s earlier right-to-counsel law limited full representation to tenants whose household income was at or below 200% of the federal poverty line. Local Law 20 added anyone 60 or older.

To seek help, call 311 and ask for Right to Counsel; the city will connect you with free legal services. The law also requires NYC Aging to run a free housing-support program for older New Yorkers at risk of eviction or foreclosure. The program can conduct an intake at your home, connect you with aid, help with applications, and provide ongoing support.

In practice, not everyone eligible gets a lawyer. The city comptroller reported in 2025 that legal-services providers gave full representation to only about 42% of eligible households facing eviction in FY2024 because funding and staffing fell short.

Council Member Crystal Hudson was the bill’s prime sponsor and introduced it as part of the Council’s Aging in Place package in 2022. The Council passed it 50–0 on January 19, 2023. Mayor Eric Adams did not sign it, and it became law without his signature. It took effect 180 days later, on August 18, 2023.