Who This Helps: NYC tenants — in any apartment, in any borough, regardless of immigration status — who are facing eviction, NYCHA proceedings, or who simply have a housing question and don’t know who to call. Also useful for tenants who have been served papers in Housing Court and don’t know they qualify for a free lawyer under city law.

Disclaimer: This is general information, not legal advice. If you have an active court case or a complex housing dispute, contact a lawyer for advice on your specific situation.

The Most Important Thing to Know: You Have a Right to a Free Lawyer

Under New York City’s Universal Access to Legal Services law — often called Right-to-Counsel — tenants facing eviction in Housing Court or NYCHA administrative proceedings have access to free legal representation or advice from legal services organizations across the five boroughs. This is not a charity. This is a city law.

According to the New York State Unified Court System at nycourts.gov, Right-to-Counsel services are free and available in every ZIP code in New York City, regardless of immigration status. Tenants with Holdover cases and Nonpayment cases qualify for a free lawyer.

The bureaucratic step that trips most tenants up is simple: you have to ASK. When you appear at your first court date in Housing Court, the most important sentence you can say is — out loud, on the record — “I would like an attorney.” The court is supposed to connect you to one of the legal services providers who has a contract to represent tenants in your ZIP code.

Free Hotlines for Tenants — Verified Sources

Even before you have a court case, two NYC organizations operate free tenant hotlines. These are the numbers to memorize:

Met Council on Housing — Tenants’ Rights Telephone Hotline

According to Met Council on Housing at metcouncilonhousing.org/program/tenants-rights-hotline:

• Phone: 212-979-0611
• Hours: Monday 1:30 PM – 8:00 PM; Wednesday 1:30 PM – 8:00 PM; Friday 1:30 PM – 5:00 PM
• Who it’s for: Any tenant living in New York City. The service is free.
• What it does: The hotline is staffed by trained volunteer members and is one of the only places in NYC where a tenant can call with a simple housing question and get a real answer. Met Council is also unique because it can connect tenants to organizing efforts to change policy, not just navigate their personal case.

Met Council notes the hotline gets very busy — especially right at the 1:30 PM opening. They suggest calling after 4:00 PM, when traffic is typically slower. Volunteer staffing means they occasionally close on short notice; if you get a busy signal or no answer, try again the next operating day.

The Legal Aid Society — Main Number

According to the Legal Aid Society at legalaidnyc.org/get-help/housing-problems/:

• Main number: 212-577-3300
• Who it’s for: Tenants facing eviction in Housing Court, foreclosure in Supreme Court, NYCHA eviction proceedings, suing for repairs, or homelessness. Help is also available for Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV) issues and housing discrimination involving rental vouchers or subsidies.
• Eligibility: Income-based. Legal Aid is one of the city’s largest legal services providers and serves the largest share of Right-to-Counsel cases.

Legal Aid has offices in every borough; the borough-specific phone numbers and intake hours are listed on their housing page at the URL above.

Legal Services NYC

Legal Services NYC is the other large civil legal aid organization with deep tenant practice. Their information line is published on the main page at legalservicesnyc.org — call between 9:30 AM and 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday, for screening. Like Legal Aid, eligibility is income-based and they cover Right-to-Counsel cases across the boroughs.

The 311 Tenant Helpline

If you cannot reach a legal services provider, dial 311 from any NYC phone and ask for the Tenant Helpline. 311 operators can refer you to the right legal aid organization for your borough and ZIP code, file an HPD complaint about housing conditions, or connect you to emergency rental assistance information.

What These Services Will Actually Do for You

Different organizations do different things. Understanding the difference saves time.

• Met Council on Housing: Will answer your tenant rights questions over the phone. Will help you understand your lease, your rights around repairs, your rights around lease renewals, and what to do about harassment. Generally does NOT provide direct legal representation in court — but they will help you understand whether you need a lawyer and how to find one.
• The Legal Aid Society / Legal Services NYC: Will provide actual legal representation in Housing Court, NYCHA hearings, foreclosure cases, and related litigation — if you qualify by income and case type. Under Right-to-Counsel, tenants with active Holdover or Nonpayment cases generally qualify for a free attorney regardless of income.
• 311 Tenant Helpline: Routes you to the right next step. Good first call if you don’t know where to start.

If You’re Served Papers in Housing Court — A Step-by-Step

1. Read the papers immediately. Find your first court date. Calendar it.
2. Answer the petition. If it’s a Nonpayment case, you must go to the courthouse IN PERSON to answer and tell the court your defenses. Bring photo ID. The answer is the formal step that puts your defenses on the record.
3. At your first court appearance, say out loud: “I would like an attorney.” Under Right-to-Counsel, the court must connect you with a legal services provider that has a contract for your ZIP code. Do not let the case proceed without asking.
4. If the legal services provider is overwhelmed, they may give you advice rather than full representation. This still helps. Take notes, ask for the next steps in writing if possible.
5. Call Met Council (212-979-0611) for self-advocacy advice if you can’t get full representation. They specialize in helping tenants represent themselves effectively.
6. Never ignore court papers. A default judgment can lead to an eviction warrant in as little as a few weeks. Only a city marshal or sheriff can execute an eviction, and the marshal must serve a notice first — but by that point, your options are much narrower.

Free Legal Aid for Other Common NYC Issues

Tenant issues are the most common reason New Yorkers need a free lawyer — but other free legal aid is available too. Many of the same organizations also handle:

• Immigration matters — Legal Aid’s Immigration Practice and Legal Services NYC’s immigration units provide deportation defense and family-based immigration help.
• Public benefits — SNAP, cash assistance, Medicaid denials and terminations.
• Unemployment insurance appeals.
• Employment discrimination and wage theft — the NY State Attorney General’s Labor Bureau and city Department of Consumer and Worker Protection are also options.
• Small claims court matters — small claims is generally designed to be navigated without a lawyer, but some legal aid programs offer brief advice.

How to Take Action

• If you have a housing question right now: Call Met Council on Housing at 212-979-0611 during their open hours (Mon/Wed 1:30 PM–8 PM, Fri 1:30 PM–5 PM). Try after 4 PM for shorter wait times.
• If you’ve been served Housing Court papers: Call The Legal Aid Society at 212-577-3300 or Legal Services NYC for intake, AND show up to your court date and say “I would like an attorney.”
• If you need an immediate referral: Call 311 and ask for the Tenant Helpline.
• For repairs and apartment conditions: File an HPD complaint online at nyc.gov/hpd or by calling 311. An HPD violation record can be evidence in court.
• For NYCHA tenants facing administrative termination: The same legal services providers handle NYCHA cases. Call early — NYCHA proceedings have strict deadlines.
• Know your immigration rights as a tenant: Right-to-Counsel applies regardless of immigration status, and NYC’s Human Rights Law protects tenants from immigration-based threats. Our piece at Immigrant Tenant Rights in NYC 2026 goes deeper on this.

Why This Matters

The Right-to-Counsel law is one of the most consequential housing policies New York City has passed this century. It exists because, before the law, the overwhelming majority of NYC tenants in Housing Court appeared without lawyers — while most landlords had attorneys. That imbalance produced predictable outcomes: missed defenses, default judgments, evictions that could have been avoided. The law works only if tenants know it exists and ask for the lawyer they’re entitled to.

Universal Access is rolling out ZIP code by ZIP code and is fully implemented citywide. The legal services providers are sometimes overwhelmed, and you may not get the level of representation you’d want — but you are far better off invoking the right than letting the system run its course without you.

Save these two numbers in your phone right now: Met Council 212-979-0611 and Legal Aid 212-577-3300. Hopefully you never need them. But if you do, the call is free and the help is real.