The laws grant certain protection for persons who lawfully occupy rent regulated housing.

Disabled persons are tenants who have an impairment resulting from anatomical, physiological or psychological conditions demonstration by medically acceptable clinical and laboratory diagnostic techniques that are expected to be permanent, and prevent the tenant from engaging in any substantial, gainful employment.

Housing protections for the disabled tenants include:

1. If a building is being converted to cooperative or condominium ownership under legal Eviction Plan, tenants who are eligible for disabled person status may refuse to purchase their apartment and remain in occupancy as fully protected rent stabilized tenants with lease renewal privileges. A rent controlled tenant's disability must be certified as of the date the New York State Attorney General accepts the Eviction Plan for filing.
2. To take advantage of the benefits, an eligible disabled person in New York City must elect, on form provided by the Attorney General, to become a "non-purchasing" tenant within 60 days of that date the final Offering Plan is being presented to the tenants. Outside NYC, there is no formal election requirement.
3. An owner cannot evict a disabled tenant or the spouse of a disabled tenant from rent stabilized in NYC for the purpose of the owner occupancy unless the owner provides an equivalent or superior apartments at the same lower rent in an area near the tenant' s present apartment.
4. An owner cannot evict a disabled tenant or the spouse of a disabled tenant from rent stabilized apartment outside NYC and rent controlled apartments statewide for the purpose of owner occupancy. Moreover, for rent stabilized apartment outside NYC and rent controlled apartments statewide, regardless of the age or physical condition of a tenant, an owner may not evict for the purpose of owner occupancy a person who has been tenant in a apartment in the building for 20 years or more.

The central Office of Rent Administration at Gertz Plaza, 92-31 Union Hall Street Jamaica, NY and the Borough and County Rent Offices are totally accessible buildings, including the bathroom facilities. Staff members at all Rent Offices are available to assist visually-impaired person with form and other printed materials. With advance notification, staff members can also provide assistance for the tenants and owners with hearing impairment, or serious mobility problem.

If a hearing-impaired person is a person is a party or a witness at a hearing before the Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR), DHCR will provide a signer to interpret the proceedings.

For more information or assistance, call the DHCR Rent InfoLine, or visit your or County Rent Office.

Central
92-31 Union Hall Street
4th Floor
Jamaica, NY 11433
(718)739-6400

Brooklyn
55 Hanson Place
7th Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11217

Upper Manhattan
163 West 125th Street
5th Floor
New York, NY 10027
North side of 110 St. and above

Nassau County
50 Clinton Street
6th Floor
Hempstead, NY 11550

Westchester County
55 Church Street
White Plain, NY 10601

Lower Manhattan
25 Beaver Street 5th Floor
New York, NY10004
South side of 110 St. and below

Bronx
1 Fordam Plaza
2nd Floor
Bronx, NY 10458

Staten Island
60 Bay Street
7th Floor
Staten Island, NY 10301

Rockland County
94-96 North Main Street
Spring Valley, NY 10977

| More...