New York landlord rules: deposits, late fees and notices

The rules Occupella applies to properties in New York, from our jurisdiction data. This is general information, not legal advice. Check the statute, or a local attorney, before you act.

Data version: 2026-08All 50 states and DC
Local rules apply here. NYC Multiple Dwelling Registration is license-to-operate; never answer NYC questions from state law alone
  • New York City: Multiple Dwelling Registration required; rent stabilization covers ~1M units; Good Cause Eviction (2024); housing-court timelines of many months

Security deposit

Maximum deposit
1 month's rent
Return deadline
14 days after the tenancy ends
Penalty for late return
2x deposit for willful violation
Interest owed
Not in our data

Work out the return date for a move-out

Source: GOL §7-108 (HSTPA 2019)

Late fees

Rule
lesser of $50 or 5% of monthly rent
Grace period
5 days

No statute cited in our data

Notice periods

Notice to pay or quit
14 days
Ending a month-to-month tenancy
30 / 60 / 90 by length of tenancy (<1yr / 1-2yr / 2yr+)
Notice before entering a unit
Not in our data

Work out the last day of a notice

No statute cited in our data

Screening

Source-of-income protection
Yes, statewide. Refusing a housing voucher is illegal.

No statute cited in our data

Licensing

To manage for others
A real-estate broker license, to manage property for others.

No statute cited in our data

How long an eviction takes

Among the slowest: 4 months or more, in tenant-protective courts. This is a rough tier from our data, not a court timeline.

Also worth knowing

  • NYC is its own regime: rent stabilization, Multiple Dwelling Registration, Good Cause Eviction (2024), housing court backlogs measured in months to years

Rent Guidelines Board stabilized renewal

Formula
annual 1-yr / 2-yr renewal percentages for rent-stabilized leases
This year's figure
This year's figure is not loaded in our data. Use the formula and check the publisher.
Published by
NYC Rent Guidelines Board, June
Applies to
NYC rent-stabilized units

Source: RGB annual orders

Interest owed on deposits

Formula
prevailing rate for buildings 6+ units
This year's figure
This year's figure is not loaded in our data. Use the formula and check the publisher.
Published by
bank-indexed
Applies to
buildings 6+ units

Source: GOL §7-103

A federal rule that can override this

Notice for nonpayment on covered properties
30 days
Note
Applies to 'covered properties' (federally backed mortgage or federal housing program). The 30-day notice requirement has no statutory sunset and courts are split - safest practice is a 30-day nonpayment notice on any covered property, regardless of shorter state timelines.

Source: CARES Act §4024

Data version 2026-08. This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, and the version is when our data was last reviewed, not a promise that every rule is still current.

Landlord rules for every state

Rules applied per property

Occupella looks up these rules for each property's own state and does the date arithmetic, like the day a deposit is due back. 14 days free, no card.

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