Interactive Programs to Prepare Court Forms

Interactive programs are available for free to self-represented litigants. The programs ask you questions about your legal situation. When you finish answering the questions you can download and print a court form and information sheets that may be helpful to you in your court case. The programs are easy to use.

Please note:
You must have the following on your computer to use the program and properly print the completed court forms.

1. Adobe Flash to view the interactive programs. Get it now for free.

2. Microsoft Word to properly view and print the completed court forms. If you do not have Word, you can download Word Viewer now for free and view and print Word documents, even if you don’t have Word on your computer.

Available Programs:

Nonpayment Answer Program: This program will ask you questions about your nonpayment case. At the end, you can download and print out an answer chart to take with you to the Housing Court Clerk if you are answering in person (oral answer). You will also receive facts sheets with information about defenses and counterclaims. This program is only for people who live in rent-stabilized or NYCHA housing.

Small Property Owner Nonpayment Petition Program:
This program will ask you questions and prepare a New York City nonpayment petition that you can print, serve and file. This program is only for unregulated housing.

Tenant Affidavit to Vacate a Default Judgment:
This free program makes papers that help you tell a judge why you missed your court date or didn't answer a petition in a nonpayment or holdover case. When you finish this program, you can print a paper called an "Affidavit in Support of an Order to Show Cause," which you must give to the clerk in Housing Court. The papers ask the judge to let you come back to court.

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If you have a legal issue and there is nothing here that will help you, you can visit one of the Civil Court’s Resource Centers and speak to a pro se attorney free of charge, or you can see if there is a court form that you can complete yourself.

Please Note: It is always better to talk to a lawyer, if possible.

These forms are not for commercial use and charging for use in any way is prohibited.