🏠 Housing & Rent

Words landlords, tenants, and housing court use.

Adverse Possession (Squatter's Rights)Adverse possession is a legal way to gain ownership of someone else's land by using it openly, continuously, and without permission for at least 10 years in New…
Building Permit (construction permit, work permit, zoning permit)A building permit is permission from the local government to do construction work on a property. The permit makes sure the work follows the building code and zo…
Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) (C of O, CO, Occupancy Permit)A certificate of occupancy is a document issued by the local building department that says a building or a specific space within a building meets the building c…
Code Enforcement (Building Inspector, Code Compliance)The local government office that enforces property maintenance and building codes. In Rochester, it is the Bureau of Inspection and Compliance Services (call 31…
Condominium (Condo) (Condo, Condominium Unit)A form of real estate ownership where the buyer owns a specific unit (the inside walls, floor, and ceiling space) plus an undivided share of the common areas (l…
Constructive Eviction (forced out, uninhabitable apartment, landlord made me leave)Constructive eviction is when the landlord's actions — or failure to act — make the apartment so unlivable that the tenant has no choice but to move out. Even t…
Deed (Property Deed, Title Deed)A deed is a legal document that transfers ownership of a property from one person to another. When a house is sold, the seller signs a deed transferring ownersh…
Easement (Right of Way)A legal right to use a specific part of someone else's property without owning it. Common examples include a utility company's right to put power lines on a por…
Egress Window (Emergency Escape Window, Basement Bedroom Window)An egress window is an emergency escape window required by building code in every bedroom. It must be large enough for a person to climb out and for a firefight…
Escrow (Escrow Account)An arrangement where money, documents, or property are held by a neutral third party until certain conditions are met. There are two common kinds. Real estate e…
Eviction (Dispossess)A court process a landlord uses to remove a tenant. In New York, a landlord has to file papers in court, serve the tenant, and get a judge's order before anyone…
Fair Housing Act (FHA) (Fair Housing Act, Title VIII)A federal civil rights law that bans discrimination in most housing decisions. Protected classes under federal law are race, color, religion, sex (including gen…
Forbearance (Mortgage Forbearance, Forbearance Agreement)A temporary agreement between a borrower and a lender to pause or reduce required payments for a set period during a hardship — job loss, illness, natural disas…
Foreclosure (Mortgage Foreclosure, Tax Foreclosure)A legal process where a lender or the government takes a property because the owner did not pay the mortgage or the taxes. In New York, every foreclosure must g…
HOA (Homeowners Association) (Homeowners Association, POA, Property Owners Association)A private organization that owns and maintains common property in a planned community, condo, or townhouse development. The HOA gets its powers from the governi…
Holdover Proceeding (Holdover, Holdover Case)A court case a landlord files when they want to remove a tenant for a reason other than unpaid rent. Before filing, the landlord has to send a written notice — …
HP Proceeding (Housing Part) (HP action, Housing Part proceeding, repair proceeding)An HP proceeding is a case filed in housing court asking a judge to order the landlord to make repairs. HP stands for Housing Part — the section of the court th…
Landlord Retaliation (Retaliatory Eviction, Retaliation)New York law makes it illegal for a landlord to evict, raise the rent, or refuse to renew a lease because the tenant complained in good faith about repairs, saf…
Lease (Rental Agreement, Tenancy Agreement)A written contract between a landlord and a tenant. It sets the terms of a rental: rent amount, length of tenancy, security deposit, rules about pets and guests…
Lien (legal claim on property, property lien, lien on house)A lien is a legal claim on someone's property because of a debt. The most common types: a mortgage (the bank has a lien on the house until the loan is paid off)…
Loan Modification (Mortgage Modification, Mod)A permanent change to the terms of an existing mortgage to make the monthly payment more affordable. Common changes include lowering the interest rate, extendin…
Mechanic's Lien (contractor lien, construction lien, lien on house)A mechanic's lien is a claim that a contractor or supplier files against a property when they are not paid for work they did. The lien attaches to the house or …
Mortgage (Home Loan)A loan used to buy or refinance real estate, secured by the property itself. The borrower (mortgagor) signs a promissory note promising to repay the loan over t…
Nonpayment Proceeding (Nonpayment Case, Rent Case)A court case a landlord files when rent has not been paid. Before going to court, the landlord must send a 14-day written rent demand that says exactly how much…
Nuisance (Public Nuisance, Private Nuisance)A condition or activity that substantially interferes with someone's ability to use and enjoy their property. A private nuisance affects one person or a few nei…
Quiet Enjoyment (Right to Privacy, Covenant of Quiet Enjoyment)Quiet enjoyment is a legal right built into every lease — even if the lease does not mention it. It means the tenant has the right to use and enjoy the apartmen…
Rent Abatement (rent reduction, rent credit, abatement)Rent abatement is a reduction in rent for the time a rental unit was not in good condition. If the landlord failed to make repairs and the apartment was not ful…
Rent Stabilization (Stabilized Apartment, ETPA)A rent regulation system that caps annual rent increases and protects tenants' right to renew their leases. In New York City, most apartments built before 1974 …
Repair and Deduct (Fix and Deduct, Self-Help Repair)Repair and deduct is when a tenant pays for a necessary repair that the landlord refused to make, then subtracts that cost from the next rent payment. New York …
Section 8 (Housing Choice Voucher, HCV, Section 8 Voucher)A federal rental assistance program run locally by the housing authority. A qualifying household gets a voucher that pays most of the rent directly to the landl…
Security Deposit (Deposit)Money a tenant pays at move-in that the landlord holds until move-out. In New York, the maximum is one month's rent. It has to be kept in a separate account and…
Short Sale (Short Pay, Pre-Foreclosure Sale)A sale of a house for less than the balance owed on the mortgage, with the lender's written approval. The lender accepts the sale proceeds as either full payoff…
Source of Income Discrimination (Voucher Discrimination, No Section 8)Refusing to rent to someone because of how they pay — including Section 8 vouchers, VASH vouchers, FHEPS, or any other lawful source of income. In New York, sou…
Tax Lien (Property Tax Lien)A legal claim the government places on a property because the taxes have not been paid. The lien stays on the property until the debt is paid. If it is not paid…
Title Insurance (Owner's Title Policy, Lender's Title Policy)An insurance policy that protects against title defects — problems with the property's ownership history — that surface after a real estate closing. Common defe…
Variance (Zoning) (zoning variance, area variance, use variance)A variance is special permission from the local zoning board to build something that does not meet the normal zoning rules. There are two types. An area varianc…
Warrant of Eviction (Eviction Warrant)A court paper that tells the sheriff or a city marshal to remove the tenant from the home. Before it can be used, the officer must give the tenant at least 14 d…
Warranty of Habitability (Habitable, Fit to Live In)The warranty of habitability is a rule built into every residential lease in New York, whether the lease mentions it or not. It means the landlord must keep the…
Warranty of Habitability (Habitability)A promise built into every rental lease in New York that says the home must be safe and fit to live in. The landlord has to keep up with basic things: heat and …