What to do if I’m being evicted from an illegal apartment?

Get Legal Help Today

Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

What to do if I’m being evicted from an illegal apartment?

I have a 1 year lease; it’s been 6 months and he’s trying to evict me. I did not violate the lease. I went to the town and they informed me the apartment was illegal. While living here I have endured several plumbing issues and flooding. The landlord hasn’t fixed these problems for 3 months and now is serving me with papers to go to court because I called the town and they are coming to see the house.

Asked on November 5, 2011 under Real Estate Law, New York

Answers:

FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 12 years ago | Contributor

From what you have written, it seems that the landlord is trying to evict you in retaliation for what you did in reporting him or her for renting you an illegal unit. Under the laws of most states in this country the retaliatiory eviction is improper.

You have the option of defending the eviction proceeding yourself, or better yet, consulting with a landlord tenant attorney to defend you in the legal action. Potentially this action can get your landlord in a worse situation with the local governmental entity than he already is in.

Good luck.


IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.

Get Legal Help Today

Find the right lawyer for your legal issue.

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption