CTRC provides training and technical assistance for neighborhood housing groups, community based organizations, legislative staffs and social service providers. CTRC produces fact sheets on tenants' rights, develops and publishes research reports, and provides a written guide to New York City government processes. CTRC advocates on budget policies that affect housing and related services in low-income neighborhoods. CTRC has led the campaign for the improvement and expansion of the city's Housing Maintenance Code inspection and enforcement services. The following Fact Sheet was written several years ago and may be out of date.
Some tenants pay heavily for landlord neglect.
In winter, they suffer and sometimes die because of landlords' failure to provide heat. There are four ways to respond to a landlord's failure to provide services. The second is to report violations to the Office of Code Enforcement of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. The third is to withhold rent individually or as a tenant association. This can result in both a court order to correct violations and a rent abatement.