Small Property Owner Nonpayment Petition Program

This free and easy program will ask you questions and make a New York City residential nonpayment petition or rent demand. You will also get instructions that will tell you what to do next.

You can use this program if:

• you do not have a lawyer, and
• the premises is unregulated housing, and
• the premises is not owned by a corporation or voluntary association, and
• you are the owner and landlord of the premises, and
• the building has five or less apartments, or is a cooperative apartment that you own the shares to, or is a condominium apartment that you own, and
• the tenant is in possession of the premises.

You will need to know the following information to finish the program:

1. If the premises is a multiple dwelling, you need the name and address of the registered managing agent and the multiple dwelling registration number. You can find multiple dwelling registration information on the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development website.
2. You need to know the date of the rental agreement.

You must have the following on your computer:

1. Adobe Flash to see the program. Get it now for free.


2. Microsoft Word to see and print the completed court forms properly. If you don’t have Word, you can download Word Viewer now for free.

Go to the Small Property Owners Nonpayment Petition Program.

If this program is not for you, learn more about starting a case or visit one of the Civil Court’s Help Centers and speak to a help center attorney free of charge, or you can see if there is a court form that you can complete yourself.

Please Note: It is always better to talk to a lawyer, if possible.

These forms are not for commercial use and charging for use in any way is prohibited.