If you have problems in your apartment or building, even before there is a court case, you can call 311 and request a housing inspection. If an inspection is made, the landlord will receive a notice of all violations.

Once a court case has begun, if you have repair problems in your apartment or building, you should ask for an inspection from the Judge the first time you are in the courtroom or as soon as possible after that. You have a right to ask for a housing inspection and you should ask for it if you need it to prove that there are bad conditions.

If you request an inspection in a nonpayment case on the first court date, you may get a date for the inspection and a date to return to court. You will be asked to make a list of the repairs needed. Make sure to include every problem in your apartment and in the public areas of the building. If a problem or area is not on the list, the inspector may refuse to look at it.

On the day of the inspection, someone must be home to let the inspector in. Be sure to show the inspector all problems in the apartment, hallways, and other public areas. If a problem or area is not shown to the inspector he or she might overlook potential violations.