Good Cause Eviction law in New York explained

New York's Good Cause Eviction law says a covered landlord can't evict you, or refuse to renew your lease, without one of the reasons listed in the law, and it treats rent increases above a yearly "local rent standard" as presumed unreasonable. In New York City that standard is 8.38% for 2026, and the law covers most market-rate apartments except those owned by small landlords, in newer buildings, in condos and co-ops, already rent regulated, or renting above a high-rent cutoff.

The law is Article 6-A of the Real Property Law, signed on April 20, 2024. It is enforced in court, mainly as a defense when a landlord sues to evict you. This guide explains where it applies, who is exempt, how the rent rule works and what your landlord has to tell you. To test your own apartment step by step, use Does Good Cause Eviction cover my apartment?

What Good Cause Eviction actually protects

The heart of the law is RPL § 216: a landlord may not remove a covered tenant, even one with no written lease or an expired lease, unless a court finds a "good cause" ground. HPD explains that "ending" a tenancy includes an eviction, a refusal to renew, and a notice ending a month-to-month tenancy. So the law gives market-rate tenants something close to a right to renew, as long as they pay a reasonable rent and follow the lease.

It does not freeze or cap rent. A landlord can still ask for any increase. What changes is that if you refuse an increase above the local rent standard and the landlord tries to remove you over it, or you fall behind because of it, a court can find the increase unreasonable.

Where the law applies

Good Cause applies automatically in all five boroughs (RPL § 212). Any other city, town or village can opt in by passing a local law (RPL § 213). When a locality opts in, it can change only two things: the high-rent cutoff (as a percentage of HUD fair market rent) and the number of units that makes someone a "small landlord." If it sets neither, the defaults are 245% and ten units.

DHCR republishes this list by August 1 every year, so check the current notice if you live outside the city.

Who is exempt

RPL § 214 lists 15 kinds of housing the law does not cover. The ones that matter most for NYC renters are:

• Small landlords. A landlord who owns ten or fewer units in New York State. For an LLC or other entity, every person with a direct or indirect stake is counted, and an entity that can't name all of them can't qualify. A landlord claiming this in an eviction case must disclose the owners and the units they own.
• Owner-occupied buildings with ten or fewer units.
• Rent-regulated and income-restricted housing. Rent-stabilized and rent-controlled apartments, NYCHA, project-based Section 8 and other units with government rent or income limits are excluded because they already have their own protections.
• Condo and co-op units, and units covered by an Attorney General offering plan.
• Newer buildings with a certificate of occupancy issued on or after January 1, 2009, for 30 years after that date.
• High-rent units renting above 245% of HUD fair market rent (table below).
• Other housing types: good-faith sublets where the tenant wants the space back, employer housing after the job ends lawfully, seasonal units, hospitals and certain senior care facilities, manufactured homes in parks, hotel rooms, school dormitories and housing run by a religious institution.

The NYC high-rent cutoff

HUD sets one fair market rent for all five NYC counties. DHCR's 2026 notice uses HUD's fiscal year 2025 figures. Multiply by 245% and you get the monthly rents above which an NYC apartment is exempt:

The rent increase rule

The "local rent standard" is 5% plus the yearly change in the Consumer Price Index for your region, or 10%, whichever is lower (RPL § 211). DHCR publishes the CPI figure every year by August 1. For 2024 to 2025 it was 3.38% for the New York-Newark-Jersey City index used in NYC and nearby counties, and 3.15% for the Northeast index used elsewhere. That puts the NYC standard at 8.38%.

On a $2,500 rent, an increase to $2,709.50 or less can't be called unreasonable. Anything above that is presumed unreasonable, but the landlord can try to rebut it. Under § 216, a court may weigh fuel, utility, insurance and maintenance costs, and must consider property taxes and recent tax increases. A landlord can also justify a higher renewal rent to pay for completed "significant repairs": permitted work on structural, electrical, plumbing or mechanical systems, or abating lead paint, mold or asbestos. Cosmetic work and repairs caused by the landlord's own neglect don't count.

To run the numbers on your own renewal offer, use the Good Cause rent increase checker.

The reasons a landlord can still evict

Section 216 lists these grounds. A covered tenant can only be removed if a court finds one:

1. Unpaid rent, unless the unpaid amount comes from an unreasonable increase.
2. Violating a substantial lease term or the landlord's reasonable written rules, and not fixing it within 10 days of written notice.
3. Nuisance, damaging the unit through malice or gross negligence, or interfering with other people's comfort or safety.
4. Occupancy that breaks the law where a government agency has ordered the tenant to vacate, and the landlord didn't cause the problem.
5. Using the unit for an illegal purpose.
6. Unreasonably refusing access for required repairs or to show the unit to a buyer or lender.
7. The landlord or a qualifying family member will live there in good faith and no other suitable unit is available. This ground can't be used against a tenant who is 65 or older or has a disability.
8. Good-faith demolition.
9. Good-faith withdrawal of the unit from the rental market.
10. Refusing reasonable changes at renewal, including a rent increase that isn't unreasonable, after written notice 30 to 90 days before the lease ends.

For owner move-in, demolition and market withdrawal, the landlord must prove good faith by clear and convincing evidence. If a landlord lied about one of those three, the displaced tenant can sue for actual damages and attorney's fees.

What your landlord must tell you

Since August 18, 2024, RPL § 231-c requires a state-form notice titled "Notice to Tenant of Applicability or Inapplicability of the New York State Good Cause Eviction Law." It must be attached to or included in:

• a new lease and every renewal lease,
• a notice of non-renewal or of a rent increase of 5% or more (the 30, 60 or 90 days' notice under RPL § 226-c),
• a 14-day rent demand, and
• the petition in an eviction case.

The notice must say whether your unit is covered. If not, the landlord ticks which exemption applies. A landlord that claims the small-landlord exemption in an eviction case must also give you the names of its owners and the number and addresses of the units they own. If you are covered, it must give the reason for any non-renewal and the justification for any increase above the local rent standard. HPD posts template notices.

How to use the law

Good Cause gives you no new agency to complain to. It works in court. HPD says tenants raise it as a defense in Housing Court, including to challenge an increase above the standard in a nonpayment case.

1. 1

   Find out if you are covered

   Read the notice that came with your lease, then check it against the exemptions. The coverage checker walks you through it.
2. 2

   Compare the increase to the standard

   Multiply your current rent by 1.0838. An offer above that is presumed unreasonable in NYC for 2026.
3. 3

   Respond in writing

   You can tell the landlord you think the increase is above the Good Cause standard and ask for the justification the notice requires. Keep copies.
4. 4

   Keep paying the rent you agree is owed

   Nonpayment of reasonable rent is still a valid ground. Don't stop paying without legal advice.
5. 5

   Get a lawyer if you are taken to court

   Many NYC tenants qualify for a free lawyer under Right to Counsel. Call 311 or Housing Court Answers (718-557-1379 or 212-962-4795, weekdays 9am to 5pm).

Key dates

1. April 20, 2024

   Law takes effect

   Applies to eviction cases first filed on or after this date.

2. August 18, 2024

   Notice requirement begins

   Landlords must attach the Good Cause notice to leases, renewals, non-renewals, demands and petitions.

3. July 16, 2026

   DHCR posts its 2026 notice

   A 3.38% CPI change (2024 to 2025) sets the NYC standard at 8.38%. The opt-in list is current as of May 4, 2026.

4. By August 1 each year

   DHCR updates the numbers

   New CPI, fair market rent cutoffs and opt-in list.

5. June 15, 2034

   Scheduled sunset

   Article 6-A is repealed on this date unless the legislature extends it.