If your landlord reduces or eliminates a service that was included in your apartment when you moved in — a doorman, laundry facilities, parking, or storage — you may be entitled to a rent reduction through the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal, or DHCR.
What qualifies as a service reduction
DHCR recognizes a wide range of services as part of a rent-stabilized tenancy. Common examples include:
- Removal of a doorman or lobby attendant
- Elimination of laundry facilities
- Removal of parking included in the lease
- Loss of storage facilities
- Elimination of elevator service or reduction to limited hours
- Removal of security systems or cameras that were previously provided
The key question is whether the service existed when your tenancy began and whether it is reflected in your lease or prior lease renewals.
Some essential-service issues — such as heat and hot water — may also support complaints to HPD or Housing Court under the Housing Maintenance Code.
Who can file
Only tenants in rent-stabilized or rent-controlled apartments can file a DHCR service reduction complaint. Market-rate tenants have different remedies — typically through lease enforcement in civil court.
How to file
DHCR service reduction complaints can be filed through DHCR's online portal at hcr.ny.gov, or by mailing a completed form to the DHCR borough office serving your area.
The form to use is RA-81 (Complaint of Decrease in Services). You will need to describe the service that was reduced or eliminated, provide the date it changed, and indicate whether the change was unilateral (landlord-initiated) or whether you were given any notice.
What happens after you file
DHCR will notify your landlord of the complaint and give them an opportunity to respond. An inspector may visit the building. If DHCR finds that a service was reduced, it can order a rent reduction — meaning your legal regulated rent decreases until the service is restored.
In many cases, landlords must file a rent-restoration application with DHCR before the prior legal rent can be restored. Restoration of the service alone does not automatically reinstate the higher rent.
Timeframe
DHCR proceedings can take months. Tenants sometimes pursue parallel remedies — filing a 311 complaint for conditions covered by the Housing Maintenance Code while also filing with DHCR.
DHCR contact information and borough office locations are available at hcr.ny.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a service reduction under DHCR? DHCR recognizes a wide range of services as part of a rent-stabilized tenancy. Common examples include the removal of a doorman or lobby attendant, elimination of laundry facilities, removal of parking that was included in the lease, loss of storage, elimination or reduction of elevator service to limited hours, and removal of security systems or cameras that were previously provided. The key question is whether the service existed when your tenancy began and whether it's reflected in your lease or prior renewals. Essential-service problems like heat and hot water can also support complaints to HPD or Housing Court under the Housing Maintenance Code, so those often run in parallel.
Who can file a DHCR service reduction complaint? Only tenants in rent-stabilized or rent-controlled apartments can file a DHCR service reduction complaint — the remedy exists because those rents are regulated, so a lost service can be offset by a rent reduction. Market-rate tenants have different remedies, typically lease enforcement through civil court, since DHCR doesn't set their rent. If you're not sure whether your apartment is rent-stabilized, that's worth confirming first, because it determines whether this DHCR path is even open to you before you invest time in the RA-81 process.
How do I file a DHCR service reduction complaint? You file through DHCR's online portal at hcr.ny.gov, or by mailing a completed form to the DHCR borough office serving your area. The form is RA-81, the Complaint of Decrease in Services. On it you describe the service that was reduced or eliminated, provide the date it changed, and indicate whether the change was unilateral — landlord-initiated — or whether you were given any notice. Be specific and document the before-and-after: when the service existed, when it stopped, and any lease language showing it was part of your tenancy, since that's what DHCR weighs.
What happens after I file, and how long does it take? DHCR notifies your landlord of the complaint and gives them a chance to respond, and an inspector may visit the building. If DHCR finds that a service was reduced, it can order a rent reduction — your legal regulated rent decreases until the service is restored. Importantly, restoring the service doesn't automatically reinstate the higher rent: in many cases the landlord must file a separate rent-restoration application with DHCR first. Expect the process to take months, so tenants sometimes pursue parallel remedies — filing a 311 complaint for anything covered by the Housing Maintenance Code while the DHCR case proceeds.
