What counts as retaliation, and the window where the law presumes it
This page covers landlord retaliation in New York — what a landlord may not do after you exercise a protected right.
It does not cover commercial leases, or conduct outside the protected window described below.
RPL § 223-b：房东不得因租客善意投诉、善意主张权利，或参加租客组织活动而发出腾房通知或提起收回占有之诉。
⚠️ 条号纠正：纽约州反报复法是 RPL（Real Property Law）第 50 章 Article 7 的 § 223-b，标题即「Retaliation by landlord against tenant」。RPAPL § 226-b **不存在**；而 RPL § 226-b 的标题是「Right to sublease or assign」，与转租有关 —— 二者必须严格区分。
RPL § 223-b(1) ↗For 365 days after a protected act, certain landlord actions are presumed retaliatory.
★ 纽约是本次五州中唯一有明确法定推定的州。§223-b(5)：租客证明房东在受保护行为后 **one year 内**发出腾房通知、提起收回占有之诉，或试图实质变更 tenancy 条款的，即「a rebuttable presumption that the landlord is acting in retaliation shall be created」。推定的法律效果是「require the landlord to establish a non-retaliatory motive for his acts by a preponderance of the evidence」—— 举证责任转移至房东，须以优势证据证明非报复动机。
RPL § 223-b(5) ↗善意投诉：租客或其代做人向房东、房东代理人或政府机关投诉房东违反 health or safety law、§ 235-b 的适居性保证、MDW §§ 78/79/80 或 MRL § 174 的修缮义务，或任何以规制住宅使用为目的或涉及 rent gouging 三/二/一级犯罪之州法或法规。
RPL § 223-b(1)(a) ↗善意主张权利：租客或其代做人善意采取行动以主张或执行租赁协议下的权利、§ 235-b 的适居性保证、MDW §§ 78/79/80 或 MRL § 174 的修缮义务，或纽约州、其政府分区或美国任何以规制住宅使用为目的或涉及 rent gouging 之法律下的权利。
RPL § 223-b(1)(b) ↗参加租客组织的活动。
RPL § 223-b(1)(c) ↗双方之间先前诉讼中依 § 223-b(3) 或 (4) 作出有利于租客的判决；或因投诉/行为而有 inspection 作出、order 作出或其他 action 采取。
这一项是 §223-b(5) 推定的触发条件之一。
RPL § 223-b(5) ↗发出 notice to quit、提起任何 action to recover real property 或 summary proceeding to recover possession。
RPL § 223-b(1) ↗Substantially alter the terms of the tenancy —— 明确包括拒绝续租、不续租、或以不合理涨租提出新租约。
⚠️ 关键操作意义：房东在 1 年内发出续租/涨租通知同样可触发 §223-b(5) 的推定，因为续租通知属「attempted to substantially alter the terms」。房东不负提供超过一年期租约或续租的义务。
RPL § 223-b(2) ↗因租客就房屋状况提出 bona fide complaint 而在租约外收取额外费用、罚金或金钱 charge —— 该条款无效，执行者须承担该费用三倍。
RPL § 223-b(5-a) ↗触发 § 223-b(5) 推定后，房东须以优势证据（preponderance of the evidence）证明其行为出于非报复动机。
⚠️ 条文未使用「good cause」字样，也未要求房东在通知或诉状中载明具体理由 —— 后者存在于 RPL § 231-c / Article 6-A 体系，而非 § 223-b。
RPL § 223-b(5) ↗民事诉讼：房东违反本条者须受civil action for damages、attorney's fees and costs 及其他适当救济之约束，包括 injunction 与其他 equitable remedies。
RPL § 223-b(3) ↗驱逐抗辩：法院认定房东在报复时应为租客判决；报复须作为 affirmative defense 提出。
⚠️ 重要实务提示：即使报复成立，租客仍不免除其应付租金义务（原文：The tenant shall not be relieved of the obligation to pay any rent for which he is otherwise liable）。
RPL § 223-b(4) ↗§ 223-b(6)：适用于所有出租住宅，但少于 4 套的 owner-occupied dwellings 除外；另有三项免责。
三项免责：(1) 已确立引发投诉或行为的状况系由租客、其家庭成员或其客人造成；(2) 租约依其条款因 bona fide transfer of ownership 而终止。
RPL § 223-b(6) ↗Every figure on this page comes from the official text or a state court opinion, not from a summary. The table below lists each provision used and the date it was last checked.
| Statute | Last verified | Source |
|---|---|---|
| RPL § 223-b(1) | 2026-10-09 | official text ↗ |
| RPL § 223-b(5) | 2026-10-09 | official text ↗ |
| RPL § 223-b(1)(a) | 2026-10-09 | official text ↗ |
| RPL § 223-b(1)(b) | 2026-10-09 | official text ↗ |
| RPL § 223-b(1)(c) | 2026-10-09 | official text ↗ |
| RPL § 223-b(2) | 2026-10-09 | official text ↗ |
| RPL § 223-b(5-a) | 2026-10-09 | official text ↗ |
| RPL § 223-b(3) | 2026-10-09 | official text ↗ |
| RPL § 223-b(4) | 2026-10-09 | official text ↗ |
| RPL § 223-b(6) | 2026-10-09 | official text ↗ |
Where the official text and a secondary summary disagree, this page follows the official text and says so. Where a provision admits of more than one reading, that is flagged rather than smoothed over.
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RPL § 223-b：房东不得因租客善意投诉、善意主张权利，或参加租客组织活动而发出腾房通知或提起收回占有之诉。
365 days. ★ 纽约是本次五州中唯一有明确法定推定的州。§223-b(5)：租客证明房东在受保护行为后 **one year 内**发出腾房通知、提起收回占有之诉，或试图实质变更 tenancy 条款的，即「a rebuttable presumption that the landlord is acting in retaliation shall be created」。推定的法律效果是「require the landlord to establish a non-retaliatory motive for his acts by a preponderance of the evidence」—— 举证责任转移至房东，须以优势证据证明非报复动机。