Every tenant in New York has the warranty of habitability. Rent-stabilized tenants have something extra, and it is the most effective repair remedy in the system: an order that freezes the rent until the work is done.
Why this route is different
The ordinary repair path — write to the landlord, call 311, get an inspection, get a violation — produces a public record and a deadline, but the money keeps flowing. The DHCR route changes that. A rent reduction order reaches the one thing an owner reliably notices.
What the order does
When New York State Homes and Community Renewal finds that a required or essential service has been reduced, it issues a rent reduction order. On its effective date, the legal regulated rent is reduced to the level in effect prior to the most recent guidelines adjustment. If the rent had gone from $1,000 to $1,052.50 under the last Rent Guidelines Board order, it goes back to $1,000.
The more significant part is what follows. No increase is allowed until a rent restoration order is issued. Not the next guidelines increase, not an increase the owner would otherwise be entitled to. And the reduction does not lift when the work is finished — the owner has to apply, through the Owner Rent Regulation Applications system, and DHCR has to approve it.
Which form
| Form | Use it for |
|---|---|
| RA-81 | A decrease in services in your own apartment — defective outlets, broken windows, broken door locks |
| RA-84 | A building-wide service reduction — common areas, lobby, elevator, security |
| HHW-1 | Lack of heat and/or hot water specifically |
Complaints can also be filed online through DHCR's Rent Connect. For a building-wide complaint on Form RA-84, DHCR requires you to file proof that you notified the owner in writing of the conditions complained of — so send that letter or email first, and keep it.
Doing both at once
- Write to the owner or managing agent. Dated, specific, in writing. This is a prerequisite for the building-wide form and good practice for all of them.
- Call 311 and get the inspection. A confirmed condition becomes a violation on the building's public record — evidence you did not generate yourself, which is exactly what a DHCR case benefits from. The grades are explained in HPD violation classes.
- File the DHCR form. Attach the letter, the photographs, and the inspection outcome if you have it.
- Keep paying rent unless a lawyer advises otherwise. The reduction comes from the order, not from you deciding to withhold.
Check the building's record first
Open violations, the owner of record, and whether the city has already had to carry out repairs itself are all public. A building with a long list of open HPD violations is a stronger DHCR case than one without. Search the address free at Check a Building. If you are not sure whether you are regulated, start with am I rent stabilized.
General information about New York rent regulation and public records, not legal advice, and not tenant screening. Rent reduction proceedings are fact-specific and outcomes vary — consult a tenant attorney or a legal services organisation, and do not withhold rent on the strength of this page. Sources: New York State Homes and Community Renewal — Living Conditions and Essential Services, Fact Sheet 14 (Rent Reductions for Decreased Services), and forms RA-81, RA-84 and HHW-1; New York Real Property Law section 235-b. Checked 7 August 2026.