Can a landlord change the locks to force a tenant out in New York?
No. Unlawful eviction is a class A misdemeanour in New York City and the tenant may be restored to possession with treble damages. RPAPL § 768; NYC Admin. Code § 26-521. In New York a tenant may be removed only through the court process, which is set by RPAPL Article 7 (§§ 711, 731, 733, 735, 749); RPL § 235-e; Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019.
| What | New York |
|---|---|
| Changing the locks, cutting a utility or removing belongings | Unlawful |
| Who may remove a tenant | Only a court officer acting on a court order |
Notes
Rent must be demanded in writing 14 days before a nonpayment proceeding, and the demand must state the rent due by month. A tenant may pay the full amount at any point up to the execution of the warrant and the proceeding ends.
Source
RPAPL Article 7 (§§ 711, 731, 733, 735, 749); RPL § 235-e; Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 — last checked 2026-09-16.
This is a summary of the published procedure, not legal advice. Courts, local rules and the facts of a tenancy change what applies, and a defect in a notice or a filing can end a case. Have a lawyer review anything before it is served or filed.
How Seayora uses this rule
Seayora does not file, serve or appear in an eviction, and is not anybody’s lawyer. When a tenant has stopped paying, it lays out these steps for the property’s own state and city with the statute beside each one, holds back any step that would come too early, keeps an append-only record of the case — and shows the resident what would end it, legal-aid links included.
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