Good Cause NYC

Overview

Before 2024, tenants living in unregulated, market-rate apartments were not protected from excessive rent increases or eviction at the end of a lease. Tenants and housing organizers fought for Good Cause Eviction (GCE), a New York State law that since 2024 protects some tenants living in otherwise unregulated apartments. Now, covered tenants are protected from big rent hikes and eviction without “good cause,” but GCE is a complicated law full of exceptions.

This guide—developed in partnership with the Center for Urban Pedagogy, Housing Court Answers, and TakeRoot Justice, as well as artists Sarah Wang and Ryan Davis from SWRD art collective—explains the law and its resources for tenants living in unregulated housing and who may be unable to access a lawyer.