New York has some of the most tenant-protective landlord-tenant law in the country. The 2019 Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act rewrote the rules that had governed New York rentals for decades. Most of those changes apply everywhere in the state — but some provisions hit differently depending on where your property is.
In Central New York, the overlay of Syracuse city ordinances, county health code enforcement, and Onondaga County court practices changes how some of these laws operate in practice. Here’s where the state law lands and where local practice diverges.
Security Deposits
New York caps security deposits at one month’s rent for all residential tenants — regardless of income, credit score, or rental history. This is a statewide rule that went into effect with the 2019 HSTPA. Before 2019, deposits above one month were common; now they’re illegal.
The deposit must be returned within 14 days of lease termination with an itemized statement of any deductions. Miss the 14-day window and you forfeit the right to make deductions entirely — the tenant gets the full deposit back regardless of damage.
In practice, the 14-day clock starts at the later of lease expiration or tenant move-out. Disputes over itemizations go to small claims court in Onondaga County, where judges have become more skeptical of vague damage descriptions since the 2019 law tightened documentation requirements.
Rent Increases
New York does not have statewide rent control for most properties. The Rent Stabilization Law and Emergency Tenant Protection Act apply in New York City and certain municipalities that opt in — Syracuse has not opted in, and Onondaga County has not opted in. Most Central New York landlords can raise rent to market rate upon lease expiration.
Good Cause Eviction is different. The 2024 New York State budget enacted a Good Cause Eviction law that limits non-renewal of leases and large rent increases in certain situations. The law has an opt-out provision for localities with fewer than 100,000 people. Syracuse, with roughly 144,000 residents, is covered. The law limits rent increases to the lesser of 10 percent or 5 percent plus the regional Consumer Price Index increase. For 2025, that cap is approximately 8.8 percent in the Syracuse metro area.
Good Cause also requires landlords to provide a “good cause” for non-renewal — non-payment, lease violation, planned use of the unit, or a few other specified reasons. A landlord who simply wants a new tenant at a higher rate is no longer automatically permitted to not renew, if the rent increase would exceed the cap.
Eviction Process in Onondaga County
Non-payment eviction in Syracuse begins with a 14-day rent demand notice. The notice must state the amount owed, the period it covers, and be served either in person, by substituted service with mailing, or by nail-and-mail if other methods fail.
After 14 days, the landlord files a summary proceeding in Onondaga County Court. Filing fees are $45 for residential cases. The court sets a return date, typically 10 to 21 days out. If the tenant doesn’t appear, a default judgment is entered. If the tenant appears and contests, the case is either settled or set for trial.
The Onondaga County Court handles a substantial volume of housing cases. Cases that go to trial typically resolve in 60 to 90 days from filing. Cases that are contested and involve discovery or counterclaims can run longer. Since 2020, the court has prioritized settlement conferences before trial dates, which has extended the timeline for landlords seeking contested evictions but reduced the caseload of full trials.
New York law requires a warrant of eviction before a tenant can be physically removed. The warrant is issued by the court after judgment and executed by the county sheriff. The sheriff’s schedule in Onondaga County adds 7 to 14 days after the warrant is issued before the physical removal occurs.
Lease Violations Other Than Non-Payment
For lease violations other than non-payment — unauthorized occupants, pets in violation of lease, property damage — the process starts with a cure notice giving the tenant an opportunity to correct the violation. The cure period is 10 days for most violations. If the tenant doesn’t cure, the landlord can then serve a termination notice and proceed to court.
Courts in Onondaga County have shown some inconsistency on lease violation cases. Pet cases in particular are often settled at conference with the tenant agreeing to remove the pet or pay a pet fee. Courts are less sympathetic when violations involve safety hazards or criminal activity.
Rent Guarantee Programs and New York Law
Some property management companies, including RenPro, offer rent guarantee programs that pay the owner during non-payment eviction proceedings. These programs exist outside the statutory framework — they’re contractual arrangements between the management company and the property owner, not a legal right. The guarantee is only as good as the company’s financial position and the terms of the specific agreement.
Code Enforcement
The City of Syracuse’s Code Enforcement Division conducts both complaint-based and proactive inspections. Landlords with properties in rental registration databases — which includes all multi-unit residential properties in the city — are subject to periodic inspection. Violations carry fines beginning at $250 per violation per day if not corrected. Lead paint violations carry higher initial fines and are tracked separately under the city’s Lead Paint Program.
In 2023, the city issued 4,147 code violation notices. 892 of those resulted in administrative hearings. 214 resulted in court referrals. The distribution reflects both the volume of deferred maintenance across the city’s aging housing stock and the Code Enforcement Division’s increasing use of data-driven targeting to prioritize properties with multiple open complaints.
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