To get the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) to make repairs, you will need to:
1. Make a list of all the repairs you need
Getting NYCHA to make repairs can take a while, so ask for all the repairs you need at the same time. Go through your home, room by room, and write down:
- Every problem you see
- The room it is in
- When the problem started
You can use the Department of Housing Preservation’s (HPD) list of bad conditions to see the kinds of problems you can report.
2. Contact NYCHA
Call NYCHA's Customer Contact Center at (718) 707-7771 or use the MyNYCHA app. You can also go to a walk-in location.
If you call NYCHA, they will give you a ticket number for each repair you request. For problems in public areas (stairs, lobby, elevator), ask for a “public space” ticket number.
They will also give you a date for repairs. If it is an emergency, someone should come to your home within 24 hours. If the repair date is months away, you can also go to court to make NYCHA fix the problem sooner.
3. Track your activity
Keep a record of every time you talk to NYCHA. Save all emails and messages. For phone calls, write down the date, time, name of the NYCHA representative, and what you talked about. These records are helpful if you take NYCHA to court.
Frequently asked questions
NYCHA will probably visit your apartment several times during this process.
1. Make sure you are home
NYCHA cannot enter your apartment if you are not home. If NYCHA visits your apartment a few times and you are not there, you might have to start the process over.
2. NYCHA will inspect the problems
The maintenance worker usually does not make repairs on the first visit. They may look at the problem to determine how to fix it. You might have to ask for several visits to get the problem fixed. Be persistent.
3. You might be asked to sign something
The maintenance worker may ask you to sign a form that the repairs are done. Read carefully and understand what you are signing. Do not sign if the repairs were not done properly.
If NYCHA tells you the repairs will take months, or they keep delaying, you can take NYCHA to court. You will file something called a Housing Part action, or “HP action” for short.
1. Gather evidence
Collect and organize the following:
- Your list of repairs
- Your record of conversations with NYCHA
- Photos of the problems you need fixed. Photos are very important. It will help your case to show exactly what is broken. Make sure to print out all of your photos. A judge will not look at photos on your phone.
On the back of the photos write the date it was taken, a description of what the photo is, and the name of the person who took the photo.
2. Go to the courthouse
Go to the housing court in your borough to file your case. It costs $45 to file. Pay exact cash or use a certified check, money order or bank check payable to: “Clerk of the Civil Court.” If you cannot afford the $45, ask for a fee waiver.
3. Go to the clerk’s office
Go to the Clerk's Office and explain that you want to file an HP Action. The clerk will give you the forms to fill out. These forms ask for details about the problems, how you tried to tell NYCHA, and any evidence and documentation you have.
You must use black ink (or font) on the forms.
If you need help filling out the forms, call Housing Court Answers’s hotline or look for their information table at your courthouse. Housing Court Answers can help you fill out the forms correctly for free. They will show you how the forms work and how to describe the problems in your apartment.
If you will need an interpreter on your court date, tell the clerk right away so that they can find an interpreter in time.
4. The clerk and judge will review your paperwork
After you fill out the forms, return them to the clerk. The clerk sends your paperwork to the judge. If everything looks good, the judge signs it.
Then the clerk will give you:
- Copies of all your paperwork
- A date and time for a NYC inspector to look at the bad conditions in your home
- A court date
5. Deliver copies of the paperwork to NYCHA
You must deliver copies of the court paperwork to NYCHA. This is called service.
You must serve the forms the way the court tells you to. You can automatically lose your case if you don’t follow these instructions. Make sure you understand exactly how to serve NYCHA before you leave the court. Ask the clerk for an Affidavit of Service form. Ask them for help if you do not understand.
The instructions usually tell you to mail the paperwork to NYCHA. Be ready to go to a post office and pay for postage. You probably need to send it by certified mail with a "return receipt requested."
After you serve the papers, fill out the Affidavit of Service.
6. Your home will be inspected
Before your court date, a NYC inspector from the Department of Housing Preservation (HPD) will inspect your apartment.
The inspector will make a list of the violations in your apartment. This is the HPD report.
The HPD report is proof of the problems in your home and can help your case. This report will go in your court file.
Important: HPD can only report on the problems you reported to housing court (what you listed on the forms you filed), so make sure when you file your case you list all the repairs you need.
7. Attend your court date
Show up to your court date on time. Be ready to present your evidence, including your records of the repair issues and how you tried to get them fixed.
If NYCHA agreed to the repairs in the settlement, you can reopen your case in court. Go back to the courthouse and file a document called an Order to Show Cause. This reopens your case.
You will get another court date and see the judge again. Bring all old photos and any new photos to show the problem remains or has gotten worse. Do not be afraid to be persistent.
If NYCHA still doesn't make repairs, you can ask the judge to hold NYCHA in “contempt of court.” This is tricky and you will probably need a lawyer.
Visit LawHelpNY.org/find-legal-help or Housing Court Answers.
Last Reviewed: March 27, 2024