A New York attorney who specializes in landlord-tenant disputes summarizes that in New York City, landlords are prohibited from locking tenants out of their apartments without following proper eviction procedures, even if the tenant does not have a written lease but has lived in the property legally for over 30 days. Tenants who have been illegally locked out by their landlord can seek assistance from the police to regain access or file an "illegal lockout" case in Housing Court to be immediately "restored to possession" and allowed to return home.