Property Owner Responsibilities

Property owners and tenants have rights and responsibilities to each other. The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is one of many City and state agencies that enforce those responsibilities. The ABCs of Housing is designed to help property owners and tenants understand housing rules and regulations, and provide resources. Property owners are required to post a notice about the availability of the ABCs of Housing in the common area of their building. 

The ABCs of Housing

The ABCs of Housing is HPD's guide to housing rules and regulations for owners and tenants.

Owners and tenants have legal responsibilities to each other. HPD is one of many city and state agencies that enforce those responsibilities. This booklet is designed to help owners and tenants gain an understanding of the rules and regulations affecting housing, and to provide information about how to receive assistance.

Inside the guide you will find information about owners' and tenants' rights and responsibilities, staying in your apartment safely, resources for new affordable housing or rental assistance, and useful contact information for other housing related issues.

The ABCs of Housing is also available in additional languages:

• Arabic / العربية
• Bengali / বাংলা
• Chinese (Simplified) / 简化字
• French / français
• Haitian-Creole / Kreyòl ayisyen
• Korean / 한국어
• Polish / polski
• Russian / Русский язык
• Spanish / Español
• Urdu / اردو

Property Owner Responsibilities

Property owner responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Ensuring that common areas and individual apartment units are safe and well maintained, in compliance with the Housing Maintenance Code (HMC) and Multiple Dwelling Law (MDL).
• Providing and maintain security measures and standards related health and safety.
• Renting only legal residential space, as defined by the Certificate of Occupancy.
• Registering units annually with HPD for owners of residential properties with three or more residential units and owners of one- to two-family homes if neither the owner not the owner's immediate family reside at the property.
• Registering rents annually with NYS Homes and Community Renewal if the building is rent-stabilized.
• Posting signage and notices as required by the MDL and the Rules of the City of New York.
• Inform HPD, upon entering into a buyout agreement with a lawful occupant of their building, resulting in a tenant vacating the unit.