1 800-518-0890TENANT-INITIATED ACTIONS
A tenant who does not want to withhold rent can initiate a legal
proceeding (known as an "HP Action") by going to Housing Court
and completing three forms: an Order to Show Cause, an Affidavit
that details the complaint, and an Affidavit of Service stating
you have served the other papers on your landlord. These forms
are all available in the office of the Clerk of the Court,
located at the Housing Court.
There is a $25 fee for processing these forms. If you cannot
afford the fee, however, you can apply to have it waived.
The staff at the Clerk's office should help you fill out the
forms and answer questions about the Housing Court. They are not
there, however, to provide legal advice.
Once the three forms are completed, the Order to Show Cause will
be submitted to and signed by a judge. It must then be served on
both your landlord and the City's housing agency. The Clerk's
office will tell you how to do this.
The Order to Show Cause will contain the date, time, and
courtroom at which you and the landlord must appear for a
hearing. The procedures are then the same as those explained in
the previous section.