What NYC Landlords Are Required to Include in a Lease Agreement

If you're renting out a New York City apartment, your lease needs to include more than rent terms and a security deposit clause. NYC landlords are required by law to attach five specific city notices and three New York State disclosures to every residential lease. Together, those eight items form the disclosure package that distinguishes a professional NYC lease from a generic residential template. Missing even one can create real exposure with HPD (Department of Housing Preservation and Development) or DOHMH (Department of Health & Mental Hygiene).

This guide covers each required notice and what it actually asks landlords to do.

For context on the three New York State disclosures that apply statewide (flood history, sprinkler system, and security deposit receipt) see our New York State lease agreement guide. The NYC-specific notices below are layered on top of those. For a broader overview of what every residential lease should cover regardless of jurisdiction, see the essential elements of a lease agreement.

If a child age 10 or younger lives in the unit (or if a tenant simply requests them) you are required to install window guards. To document this, the lease must include the official Window Guard Notice. It asks tenants whether a young child lives in the apartment and whether they want guards installed. Tenants must return the form, and landlords must act on it.

Window guard violations are among the most strictly enforced in the city. If a child is injured and no notice was provided, your exposure as a landlord is significant.

Before a tenant signs, you must disclose the unit's and building's bedbug history using the official HPD Bedbug Disclosure Form. The form covers any infestations and remediation efforts in the previous 12 months.

This requirement is less about being negative press for the landlord and more about documentation. Providing it upfront establishes a clear record and gives you a defensible position if issues arise later.

Under Local Law 55, NYC landlords are responsible for annual inspections and remediation of indoor allergen hazards, including mold, mice, rats, and cockroaches.

The lease must include two items:

If a child age 6 or younger lives in the unit (or if a tenant requests them) you are required to provide stove knob safety covers.

The lease or renewal package must include the Stove Knob Cover Notice asking tenants:

The landlord must install them within 30 days of receiving the form.

Any residential building with three or more units must have a written smoking policy and disclose it to all tenants. You are not required to prohibit smoking, but you are required to be specific: where it is and is not permitted (balconies, courtyards, individual units, etc.).

The smoking policy must be:

If the property is rent stabilized, the lease must also include the Rent Stabilization Rider. This is a separate legal requirement that applies on top of everything above.

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For buildings constructed before 1978, a ninth requirement applies on top of the eight covered above. The Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act requires landlords of pre-1978 properties to complete a specific disclosure before a tenant signs: a written form documenting any known lead-based paint or lead paint hazards in the property, the EPA pamphlet "Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home" given to the tenant before signing, and a signed tenant acknowledgment confirming receipt.

This is a federal requirement, not a city or state one. It applies regardless of the unit's rent regulation status, building size, or borough. A lease that is missing the disclosure section is legally incomplete for almost all pre-1978 NYC property, even if every one of the eight city and state notices is included correctly.

NYC landlords with a child under six in a pre-1978 building also face separate obligations under Local Law 1, which requires annual lead paint hazard inspections and remediation. That is a property maintenance obligation distinct from what the lease disclosure covers.

If your building was constructed before 1978, Legal Opus offers a pre-1978 NYC lease agreement that includes all eight required city and state disclosures plus the federally required lead paint disclosure. Starts at $35, no subscription.

A properly assembled NYC residential lease packet should include:

Each of these has a specific format required by the city. Substituting a generic notice or skipping one because it seems unlikely to apply is the kind of shortcut that tends to create problems exactly when you don't want them.

NYC's lease requirements exist because the city takes tenant safety seriously, particularly for children and seniors. For landlords, the disclosures are also practical protections: a complete, properly documented lease packet establishes the ground rules clearly and gives you a paper trail if a dispute arises later. For most leases, New York State also requires you to issue a security deposit receipt identifying the bank where the funds are held.

Legal Opus has a residential lease agreement built for New York City with the eight required disclosures already included. Fill in your details, see the document take shape as you go, and download a complete, ready-to-sign package. It starts at $35, no subscription.

Create your NYC Lease Agreement.