I'm hoping someone can offer me some advice. I live in a 19-unit building in East Harlem and one of my neighbors recently discovered our building doesn't have a valid CO - the temporary one expired two years ago. He and some of the other residents are demanding the landlord address this and they are withholding rent until they do so. I know he was told this was okay for him by a housing court judge (a whole other story).
My question is, is this legal? Do I have to file court papers before I can withhold rent? And can the landlord, or the city, for that matter, evict us for withholding rent or the invalid CO?
Thanks for any help you can give.