Housing & Rent · Surprise rank #306
New York Can Order a Landlord to Let You Back In After an Illegal Lockout
Illegal-lockout tenant protections and restoration remedies
Who
Lawful occupants who were locked out or otherwise unlawfully removed without the required court process.
What to do
Start here: Seek urgent legal help, preserve evidence, and contact the local court or a tenant legal-services provider about a restoration proceeding.
Eligibility: The protections apply to covered occupants, not people who are merely trespassers or squatters; legal facts matter.
What you get
New York law prohibits unlawful evictions and requires an owner to take reasonable and necessary action to restore an unlawfully evicted occupant to the dwelling unit.
Benefit: A route to restoration and legal remedies; unlawful eviction can also be a class A misdemeanor.
Possible value: The appropriate remedy depends on the facts, occupancy status, court, and local procedure.
Good to know
Important: Do not treat a police call or a criminal complaint as a substitute for the civil court process needed to resolve possession and other remedies.
Availability: Current New York tenant protection; local procedures differ.
Why people miss it: People may think a landlord can change locks without a court order or may not know a restoration remedy exists.
Sources reviewed: Aug 10, 2026