1 800-518-0890PAINTING, EXTERMINATION, SUPERINTENDENTS AND PETS
Your landlord is required to paint your apartment every three
years at his or her expense. Some landlords will negotiate an
allowance to cover some or all of the cost, if the tenant
arranges for the painting in off years.
Your landlord is required to take all steps necessary to keep
your apartment and the public areas of the building free from
infestation of roaches, mice, rats and other vermin. Appropriate
services must be maintained to meet this health safety standard,
including contracting with independent extermination services, if
necessary.
If your building has nine or more units, a superintendent must
live in the building, or within a 200-foot radius. In addition,
the name and phone number of the superintendent must be posted in
a conspicuous location in the building. If there are fewer than
nine units in the building, a phone number of whom to call in the
event of an emergency must be posted
Although most standard leases prohibit tenants from keeping pets,
some landlords invoke this clause arbitrarily as a tactic to
force a tenant to move or to collect a higher rent. These
landlord abuses are now illegal. If you own a pet, and your
landlord or superintendent has knowledge of that fact for three
months or more, the "no pet" provision in your lease may not be
used against you at a later date. If a pet causes damage,
however, or becomes a nuisance, a landlord may still initiate an
action against a tenant.