Effective April 7, 2022, the New York statute of limitations for debt/rent collection lawsuits arising out of a consumer credit transaction is reduced from six years to three years.
You can stay in a New York City apartment for 90 days without paying rent before the landlord can initiate eviction proceedings against you. This does not mean that that the landlord will take no action prior to the 90-day mark; there are several steps leading up to the eviction notice.
If you think a landlord has discriminated against you, you can complain to Long Island Housing Services at (631) 567-5111. You can also file a fair housing complaint with HUD at (800) 669-9777.
Landlords may not take the law into their own hands and evict a tenant by use of force or unlawful means. For example, a landlord cannot use threats of violence, remove a tenant's possessions, lock the tenant out of the apartment, or willfully discontinue essential services such as water or heat.