What it means for you
Since 2017, NYC law has required free eviction legal services. Tenants at or below 200% of the poverty line, and all tenants 60 or older, qualify for full representation; others qualify for brief advice. Lawyer shortages leave many eligible tenants unrepresented.
Who benefits: Tenants facing eviction in Housing Court and NYCHA tenants in termination-of-tenancy cases; more than 22,700 households got a full lawyer in fiscal year 2025.
If your landlord takes you to Housing Court to evict you, New York City law requires the Office of Civil Justice to provide access to free legal services. Tenants whose household income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, and tenants 60 or older, are eligible for full representation. Others can get brief legal advice. Immigration status does not matter, and the program covers every ZIP code. NYCHA residents facing termination of tenancy are covered too.
To seek help, call 311 and ask for the Tenant Helpline. At the courthouse, ask the clerk or court attorney about a free lawyer. Funding and staffing have not kept pace with demand, so not every eligible tenant gets one.
The program began in 15 ZIP codes and expanded citywide in March 2020, ahead of the law’s July 2022 deadline. A 2023 law sponsored by Council Member Crystal Hudson made every tenant 60 or older eligible for full representation regardless of income.
Council Members Mark Levine and Vanessa Gibson introduced the bill in 2014 and pushed it for three years. Mayor Bill de Blasio agreed to fund it in February 2017, the Council passed it on July 20, and he signed it on August 11, making New York the first U.S. city to create this kind of program. In fiscal year 2025, city-funded providers fully represented more than 22,700 households in eviction cases. In the fourth quarter, 44% of eviction cases where the tenant appeared had a full lawyer.
HousingRights
Sources
- Int 0214-2014, providing legal services for tenants who are subject to eviction proceedingsNew York City Council (Legistar)
- City Council passes right to counsel for low-income tenants in Housing CourtGotham Gazette
- Int 0673-2022, full legal representation for tenants 60 and olderNew York City Council (Legistar)
- Office of Civil Justice Annual Report, Fiscal Year 2025NYC Human Resources Administration
- NYC Administrative Code Title 26, Chapter 13 (legal services in eviction proceedings)American Legal Publishing
- Legal services for tenantsNYC Human Resources Administration
- Evictions Up, Representation DownOffice of the New York City Comptroller, May 2, 2025
How we checked this
Drafted by Claude Opus 5.5 (Anthropic) on November 11, 2026. Checked against its sources by GPT-5.6-sol (OpenAI) on November 11, 2026, with no problems found. Confirmed the law and 2023 amendment, eligibility rules, legislative credits, FY2025 figures, and current status. The current Administrative Code and FY2027 funding show the program remains in effect.
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