Buffalo Landlord-Tenant Rules

Required notices/registration: All non-owner-occupied one- and two-family rental properties must register every year with the Department of Permit and Inspection Services through the Rental Registry (in place since 2006), even if vacant, and pay a per-unit fee. Bills usually arrive in February and are due within 30 days; late registration brings late fees and fines. Properties owned by an LLC must disclose the names and contact information of the beneficial owners. Under the Proactive Rental Inspections Law (2020), these single and double rental units are inspected every three years for health and safety hazards, including lead-based paint. A unit that passes receives a Certificate of Rental Compliance. A property that refuses inspection or fails to meet the standard may not be lawfully rented, and tenants may not be evicted for non-payment of rent while it lacks the certificate. Rental buildings with three or more units instead need a Certificate of Occupancy inspection, and owners of three or more rental units must use a licensed property manager or become licensed themselves.; Habitability/code enforcement & complaint line: Either the tenant or the landlord can schedule the unit's rental inspection. If violations are found, the owner gets a set time to repair before the case is sent to Housing Court or the City's Bureau of Administrative Adjudication. The Housing Part of Buffalo City Court (Buffalo Housing Court) hears all actions to enforce state and local housing codes for property in the City of Buffalo, including rent abatement for code violations in multiple dwellings, receiverships, and repair-related stays.; Rent stabilization: Buffalo has not opted into New York's Good Cause Eviction Law. It does not appear on the state housing agency's list of municipalities outside New York City that had adopted the law as of May 4, 2026.