ONCE YOU FIND YOUR APARTMENT, HERE’S HOW NOT TO LOSE IT

(Article published in HWW March 2002)

As families who have been homeless realize, it’s not an experience you want to repeat. Once you’ve found an apartment, you’ll want to keep it. Here is advice from Sarah Kolodny of Settlement Housing Fund, which sponsors affordable housing projects.

As a tenant, it’s important to keep in mind that you have not only new rights but also new responsibilities.

Your first obligation is to pay your rent on time. Be sure to find out how , when, and where you are supposed to pay your rent. If you’re on public assistance and receive a rent allowance, it’s not a bad idea to arrange for “Direct Payment” of rent from welfare to the landlord. But even if the rent money does go directly to the landlord, it is still your responsibility and you should check regularly to be sure it’s been paid.

If you’re responsible for paying any part of your rent, no matter how small, learn to budget so you’ll be able to come up with your share of the rent. Hang onto your keys because the landlord will charge you if you lose them. When you arrange to have a telephone or cable service, remember you don't have to buy the fanciest available.

Remember the roof over your head is more important than a new TV or stereo.

If you have a housing voucher from EARP Section 8 or HPD, respond to all documents and paperwork they require of you. If you fail to respond, it is possible for you to lose your Section 8 subsidy. In some buildings, you must recertify every year. So never leave your paperwork until the last minute.

Be sure to report needed repairs to the landlord or managing company, and it’s best to follow up your complaint in writing. If they don’t remedy the problem , call HPD’s (Housing Preservation and Development) Central Complaint Hotline at (212) 824-4328 . If you’re in NYCHA housing, call (212) 306-3000 from 8:30 am to 5 pm weekdays, and at other times call (212)289-8000.

Be sure to let the exterminator in when he comes.

It is important to familiarize yourself with your new appliances and to learn the house rules and procedures. Do you know the rules about moving in large pieces of furniture? How should you dispose of your garbage? What are the rules about recycling? What are the rules about pets?

Be a good neighbor. Supervise your kids. Be careful about loud music. Try not to offend your neighbors by loitering, smoking, or hanging out in hallways and stairways.

Don’t leave any items in the hallways like bicycles or shopping carts. That’s considered a fire hazard. Don’t throw anything out of your apartment windows. And remember, your visitors are your own responsibility.

If there’s a tenant organization, join it.

Moving is stressful. If you’re having trouble with domestic abuse or drug or alcohol abuse, there is help available. Be sure to ask for it.

HOTLINES TO CALL FOR HELP

New York State Domestic Violence Hotline 1 800 942 6906 (English) / 1 800 942 6908 (Spanish)

New York City Domestic Violence Hotline 1 800 621 HOPE (4673)

Domestic Violence/Crime Victims Hotline (212) 577 7777

Center for the Elimination of Violence in the Family (718) 439 1000

FOR DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE 1 800 SOBER (76237)