⚖️

How to file — Rent overcharge complaint (HCR)

NYS Homes and Community Renewal — Office of Rent Administration

Deadline

6-year statute of limitations from the date of overcharge

CPLR § 213-a + HSTPA 2019 Part F § 4 — 6-year look-back. 9 NYCRR § 2526.1 — treble damages on willful overcharge.

How to submit

MAIL

NYS HCR — file Form RA-89 (Tenant Complaint of Rent Overcharge)

NYS Homes and Community Renewal
Office of Rent Administration
92-31 Union Hall Street, 6th Floor
Jamaica, NY 11433

Mail Form RA-89 along with your supporting rent records. HCR will request the landlord's registration history.

ONLINE

NYS HCR Rent Connect

https://hcr.ny.gov/rent-connect

PHONE

NYS HCR Office of Rent Administration

Phone: (718) 739-6400

What to attach

Form RA-89 (Tenant Complaint of Rent Overcharge)
All current and prior leases in your possession
Rent receipts, money orders, or bank records of rent payments
DHCR rent registration history (request via HCR Rent Connect)
Any J-51 / 421-a / 421-g filing information for the building

Pro tips

Pull the rent registration history first — HCR will mail it to you free. The landlord's own filings often prove the overcharge.
Treble damages presumed willful unless landlord rebuts. Cite "willful" in your complaint.
Apartments improperly deregulated under tax abatements (J-51 / 421-a) are commonly overcharged — ask HCR to inspect the abatement period.
If you suspect fraud (concocted IAIs, false MCIs), say so in plain language; HCR will investigate.

Citations the letter relies on

9 NYCRR § 2526.1 — 9 NYCRR § 2526.1 (Rent Stabilization Code — overcharge complaints; 6-year look-back; treble damages)
HSTPA 2019 Part F § 4 — HSTPA 2019 Part F, § 4 (Codified at CPLR § 213-a — 6-year statute on overcharge)
9 NYCRR § 2522.6 — 9 NYCRR § 2522.6 (Determination of legal regulated rent)
NYS HCR Form RA-89 — NYS Homes and Community Renewal — Tenant Complaint of Rent Overcharge (Form RA-89)

Tenant Defender is research and self-help. Not legal advice. For complex eviction or harassment cases, contact a NY tenant attorney or Met Council on Housing (311 → tenant rights).