On Oct. 22, 2021, the Legislature passed an Act to amend the New York City Civil Court Act (CCA), among other Acts relating to small claims, to obtain jurisdiction over landlords in real property actions.

In particular, the Legislature added a provision to Section 1801 of the CCA, which defines “small claims,” to include claims relating to a tenancy or lease, where the claimant “is a tenant or lessee of real property owned by the defendant…and such real property is situated within the city of New York.” (2021 McKinney’s Sess Law News of NY, Ch 485 [A. 297]).  The amendment became effective on Sept. 1, 2022.