Walk through your apartment.
Go room by room. Check what's broken. We'll write the letter to your landlord that covers everything — so you only have to make your case once.
This panel only appears when ?review is in the URL. Each law below is used in the generated letter. Confirm accuracy against current NYC code or a tenant-lawyer reference before removing the Verify tag.
- If you smell gas Call Con Edison at 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633) or 911.
- If there's an active fire or flooding Call 911.
- If you've been locked out illegally Call 911, then see the illegal lockout guide.
Why do this all at once? Met Council on Housing's core advice to NYC tenants is: “Include everything that needs to be addressed in your first written communication.” Most tenants write about one problem (the leaky faucet), discover three more later, and have to start the clock over each time. This tool coaches you through a systematic room-by-room inspection before you write anything.
What you'll get: a ready-to-send letter listing every problem you checked, grouped by room, with the relevant NYC housing laws referenced. Copy it, email it to your landlord (with photos attached), or print and send by certified mail.
How long this takes: about 10–15 minutes. Have your phone ready for photos as you go.
How this works
- Walk through each room of your apartment and check off what's wrong.
- Add anything we missed using the “add your own” box in each room.
- Copy your letter at the bottom and send it to your landlord.
Room by room
Tap any section to expand it. If you have more than one bedroom or bathroom, use Add another to create a new section for each one — you can label them primary, guest, kids, or however you think of them.
Your letter
This letter updates live as you check items above. Fill in your address, landlord's name, and your contact info, then copy and send.
Subject: Request for repairs at
Dear ,
I am writing to formally request repairs to my apartment. I have conducted a thorough inspection and identified the following conditions that require attention:
Please arrange to inspect and repair these conditions promptly. I have documented them with photographs and am prepared to file a complaint with 311 and HPD if repairs are not made within a reasonable timeframe.
Thank you,
What to do next
- Send it by email and attach your photos. BCC yourself so you have a copy you can prove you sent.
- Or send by USPS Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested. About $10 at any post office. Gives you a signed delivery card that holds up in Housing Court.
- Keep your photos and this letter together. Same folder, same backup. You'll need them if repairs don't happen and you have to file a complaint or go to Housing Court.
- If your landlord doesn't respond within 7–14 days, file a 311 complaint. Our scenario guides walk through the process: heat & hot water, mold, pests, leaks, broken appliances, lead paint.
- If the landlord retaliates (rent increase, non-renewal, service cut, harassment) within 12 months of this letter, that's presumptively unlawful under RPL § 223-b. See the retaliation guide.
You can still secure your door — but don't drill a fire door.
Under New York Multiple Dwelling Law § 51-c, you have the right to install one additional lock on your apartment entrance at your own expense. The lock can be no more than 3 inches in circumference. Landlords can't charge extra rent or fees for it. If they ask, you must give them a duplicate key.
If you have a metal fire-rated door (common in NYC buildings): don't drill into it yourself — modifying a fire-rated door voids its rating and can be a fire-code violation against the landlord. Safer options that don't require drilling:
- Portable door locks (like Addalock) that clamp to the strike plate
- Door security bars that wedge between the door and floor
- Ask your landlord to install the additional lock using a fire-rated lock kit that maintains the rating — § 51-c protects your right either way