Locks, keys and peepholes: NYC tenant rights

Yes, you can add your own lock to your NYC apartment door. New York's Multiple Dwelling Law § 51-c lets tenants in apartment buildings install an extra lock on the entrance door, as long as you give the landlord a duplicate key if they ask.

The landlord, for their part, must supply a working key lock, and in most apartment buildings a deadbolt, a chain door guard and a peephole. They cannot change your lock without handing you a new key. Below is what each rule says, who it covers, and what to do when something goes wrong.

Your right to add your own lock (MDL § 51-c)

Multiple Dwelling Law § 51-c gives tenants in multiple dwellings (buildings with three or more apartments) these rights:

• You may install and maintain your own lock on the entrance door to your apartment. It is in addition to the lock or locks the owner provides.
• Size limit: the lock can be no more than three inches in circumference. In practice this covers a standard deadbolt or cylinder lock, not an oversized security plate.
• Duplicate key: you must give the landlord a duplicate key if they ask for one. The Attorney General's tenants guide warns that refusing can be treated as a violation of your tenancy.
• No extra charge: any lease clause that makes you pay additional rent, a fee or anything else for installing your lock is void and unenforceable.

The law does not apply to buildings run by a municipal housing authority (NYCHA), to units rented as hotel or motel rooms, or to college and school dormitories. NYCHA residents should follow NYCHA's own rules and lease.

What locks and hardware the owner must provide

The NYC Housing Maintenance Code sets a minimum for every apartment entrance door. A "class A multiple dwelling" is the ordinary permanent-residence apartment building, which is most NYC rentals.

The peephole rule does not apply to hotels, apartment hotels, dormitories, or owner-occupied units in one- and two-family homes, and a tenant-occupied one- or two-family home doesn't need one if you can already see who is outside from inside.

Locks that are illegal

HPD's Tenants Guide says double-cylinder locks (locks that need a key to open from the inside) are dangerous and illegal, and so are window gates that need a key from inside. In a fire, hunting for a key can cost you your exit. HPD inspectors check for "door locks that require a key to exit" on every apartment inspection, and HPD's Owners Guide gives owners 24 hours to correct a double-cylinder lock violation. Don't install one yourself either: your added lock should open from the inside with a thumb-turn.

Keyless entry, fobs and apps

Many newer buildings use key fobs, keycards or phone apps. Under NYC Local Law 63 of 2021, an owner that uses a smart access system for the building, common areas or your apartment must give tenants a written data retention and privacy policy. HPD says the law also bars using the system's data to track your comings and goings in order to harass or evict you, or to track your relationship status and guests.

When the landlord changes your lock

An owner may replace a broken lock, but they must give everyone lawfully living in the apartment a key to the new one. Under the Housing Maintenance Code, removing your entrance door, plugging or disabling the lock, or changing the lock without supplying you a key is listed as tenant harassment. Under state law (RPAPL § 768), doing it to push out someone who has lived there 30 days or more, or has a lease, is an unlawful eviction: a class A misdemeanor with civil penalties of $1,000 to $10,000 per violation.

If you come home and your key doesn't work, go straight to our illegal lockout guide. Calling the police is the first step.

Common situations

Does a key mean the landlord can walk in?

No. Having a key is about emergencies and scheduled access. Outside an emergency like a gas or water leak, an owner must give advance written notice before coming in for inspections or repairs. See When can a landlord enter your apartment in NYC? for the notice periods. Repeated unannounced entry can itself be harassment.

How to get a lock, chain or peephole fixed

1. 1

   Ask the owner in writing

   Text or email the super or managing agent with photos. Name the item (deadbolt, chain guard, peephole, entrance door) and ask for a repair date.
2. 2

   File a complaint with 311

   Call 311 or use 311 Online. The complaint goes to HPD, which can inspect and issue a violation. See our guide to filing an HPD complaint through 311.
3. 3

   Let the inspector in

   If the HPD inspector can’t get into your apartment, they leave a card asking you to call and schedule an appointment. Call promptly so the condition gets inspected.
4. 4

   Check the building record

   Look up the address on Roofy to see whether the violation was issued and whether it has been certified as corrected.
5. 5

   Escalate if nothing happens

   Tenants can bring an HP action in Housing Court to get an order to repair. Rent-stabilized tenants can also complain to NYS HCR.

Related: How to file an HPD complaint through 311, HP actions for repairs, and package theft in apartment buildings. To see a building's open violations, search it on Roofy's building lookup.