Due to government steps, residential evictions in New York have declined by over 40% since 2014, causing issues for landlords needing to remove problematic tenants. This example is only one of many unique challenges landlords face in the Big Apple, with overcomplex property management rules and regulations and tenant compliance issues creating a lot of red tape. So, how do you ensure you can enforce your lease in a stronger way while remaining within New York's laws?
The following article provides actionable steps you can take as a New York landlord to help with lease enforcement in your portfolio in a way that is tailored to NYC's specific legal framework. So, keep reading to ensure your properties receive the efficient management they deserve while ensuring you follow the law.
1. Define Lease Agreements
A strong lease agreement provides you with a simple-to-follow legal foundation for resolving any dispute by offering you clearly-defined landlord-tenant rights and responsibilities. To emphasize this, New York's State law requires leases to include specific information from you and the tenant to ensure you have a stronger case should you need to escalate the lease further.
Customized lease terms can also allow you to address property-specific needs, such as pet or utility policies. However, leases including these must still comply with New York laws, so ensure you understand them.
2. Conduct Property Inspections
Regular property inspections can help ensure the tenant complies with all lease terms. They can also identify maintenance issues before the tenant escalates them further, helping you stay on top of possible problems.
However, tenants should be given at least 24-hour notice before entering the property, per New York laws.
3. Investigate Lease Violation Remedies Promptly
When problems occur, promptly address them to avoid them becoming larger disputes. When you feel this might occur, document them carefully to give yourself a clear record you can leverage during any ongoing discussions and avoid ambiguity in the fault of the issue, protecting yourself.
4. Use Legal Notices and Actions
Even if you do not plan to escalate further, legal notices are a clear message and tool to help you enforce lease compliance. They are also helpful in addressing persistent violations. There are specific notice procedures you must follow to ensure validity, so either contact a legal expert or work with a professional property manager to ensure you do it right.
Properly-served notices will often resolve disputes without requiring you to pursue further legal action. As such, they can usually save you time and money, leaving things like eviction or mediation as a last resort.
Strengthen Your Lease Enforcement Practices
Lease enforcement in NYC can be complicated and requires clear and transparent communication from both sides to resolve amicably. However, these tools require a learning period to be used correctly. Professional property management services can help you streamline this process and ensure a better result.
PMI Paramount staff have decades of experience handling such issues. Contact us today to learn how we can help you achieve the best possible outcome in your property disputes.
