Resident Council Election Eligibility Criteria

Voting in a NYCHA Resident Council Election

Anyone interested in voting in a NYCHA Resident Council -- also known as Resident Association -- Election must meet the following criteria:

• You must be a resident of the specific development that is holding the resident association election

• Your name must appear on the lease or household composition

• You must be at least 18 years of age. The only residents under age 18 that may vote are those who are listed on the lease as Head of Household.

Eligibility to run for and hold office on a NYCHA Resident Council

1. All candidates must be current with their rent. For arrears that accrued after March 13, 2020, tenants must have given consent to NYCHA to apply for ERAP on their behalf.

   • If a tenant is currently in compliance with their rental payment agreement, the “current in rent” requirement shall be deemed satisfied.

2. A tenant is disqualified from running for office if the Office of Impartial Hearings (OIH) has issued an administrative determination of lease non-compliance.

   • Tenants with pending cases with the Law Department or those who are currently appearing in front of the OIH are presumed compliant until OIH issues its determination.
   • Cases settled by stipulation do not disqualify a tenant, so long as the tenant is in compliance with the terms of the stipulation.
   • An exception to the above rule is the following: If there are circumstances involving the tenancy which create an immediate threat to the health and safety of other tenants or NYCHA property, (including criminal activity), NYCHA’s Law Department will review these cases to determine eligibility. These cases should be brought to Resident Engagement and then forwarded to the Law Department for review.

3. Any tenant who fails to fully comply with the terms or conditions of any determination, recommendation, instruction, directive, settlement, or the equivalent, issued by the NYCHA Department of Equal Opportunity or Law Department, the New York City Law Department, the NYCHA Office of the Inspector General, the New York City Department of Investigation, or a third-party investigator, is not eligible to hold or run for RA office. Upon a showing of non-compliance, any tenant-candidate running for TA office will be automatically disqualified from further consideration, and any tenant currently holding a RA office shall immediately resign from any office held. A failure to resign will result in NYCHA’s withdrawal of recognition of the RA. Proof of non-compliance sufficient to render a tenant ineligible for RA office must be made by credible evidence.