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NYC Marshal Services in East Harlem
El Barrio Landlords: The Warrant Is Issued — Now What?
Hear from Our Customers
Eviction Marshal Serving East Harlem, NY
East Harlem is one of the most legally complex rental markets in Manhattan. Nearly a third of renter households here spend more than half their income on rent, which means nonpayment cases are common — and when they finally resolve in your favor, every additional week of delay costs you real money.
Having a mayor-appointed marshal in your corner means the enforcement actually happens, on a timeline that makes sense, without procedural errors that send you back to court. The Harlem Community Justice Center at 170 East 121st Street handles all residential landlord-tenant cases from ZIP codes 10035 and 10037 — right in the neighborhood. Once that court issues your warrant, you need someone who knows how to execute it correctly under the specific conditions of this housing market.
In East Harlem, tenants are almost always represented through Right to Counsel. One misstep in the enforcement process can unravel months of legal work. Whether you’re a small landlord on Lexington Avenue, a property owner near 116th Street, or a business owner who won a civil judgment and still hasn’t seen a dime — the court order is only as good as the enforcement behind it. That’s where we come in.
NYC Marshal Edward Guida #14
We are a mayor-appointed civil enforcement officer, not a private debt collector. That distinction matters more than people realize. A private collection agency can send letters and make phone calls. We can garnish wages, levy bank accounts, seize property, and execute court-ordered evictions — because state law authorizes it. No private firm operating in East Harlem has that authority.
We have been serving all five boroughs since 1988, when Edward Guida Sr. founded the practice. Edward Jr. received his own mayoral appointment in 2016 and has continued the work with the same staff that operated under his father. That kind of continuity is rare. Our office is based in Corona, Queens — directly across the RFK Bridge from East Harlem — and covers Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island.
Every marshal is required to carry a $100,000 public official’s bond and operate under oversight from the NYC Department of Investigation. That’s external accountability that no collection agency or law firm can match.
NYC Eviction and Judgment Enforcement Process
For landlords in East Harlem, the process starts after the Harlem Community Justice Center has done its part. Once you have a Warrant of Eviction, you contact us, provide the relevant court documents, and we issue a Marshal’s Notice to the tenant — a required step before any physical enforcement can take place. From there, the eviction is scheduled.
If you need a full eviction, a bonded moving company licensed by the New York State Department of Transportation handles the removal, and we prepare a written inventory of all items in the premises. If legal possession is the right fit for your situation, we return control of the property to you without a full move-out, giving the tenant a defined window to retrieve belongings.
For judgment creditors — whether you won in Civil Court, Supreme Court, or Small Claims — the process depends on what assets the debtor has. Income execution targets wages directly. We first serve the debtor, giving them the opportunity to make voluntary payments. If they don’t respond within the required period, the employer is served next, and payroll deduction becomes mandatory. Property execution reaches bank accounts and physical assets. These aren’t parallel options — they can often be pursued together, depending on what enforcement makes the most sense for your specific judgment.
The NYC DOI does suspend eviction enforcement during severe weather events, which can affect scheduling during winter months. We communicate proactively when those suspensions apply so you’re never left wondering where things stand.
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Income Execution and Property Execution in East Harlem
East Harlem’s housing stock is heavily rent-stabilized, predominantly renter-occupied, and subject to a growing layer of tenant protections — including the Good Cause Eviction law signed in 2024, which extended new protections to certain market-rate apartments not previously covered by rent stabilization. Navigating enforcement in this environment requires someone who understands the rules, not just someone willing to show up.
We handle Supreme and Civil Court judgment collection, property execution, income execution, landlord and tenant services including both legal possession and full eviction, small claims enforcement, and parking violations operations. For East Harlem landlords who own property in multiple boroughs — not uncommon for small portfolio owners in upper Manhattan — one office handles enforcement across all five. You don’t need to find a different marshal for a Brooklyn property or a Bronx judgment.
Marshal fees are set by New York State statute, not by us. The poundage on collected judgments is 5%, established by state law. There are no surprise fees and no inflated contingency percentages. For small business owners along 116th Street or Lexington Avenue who are weighing whether it’s worth pursuing a judgment at all, that fee structure means our financial outcome is tied directly to yours — we only earn poundage when you actually collect.
What happens after I get a Warrant of Eviction at the Harlem Community Justice Center?
Once the Harlem Community Justice Center at 170 East 121st Street issues a Warrant of Eviction, the court’s role is essentially finished — enforcement is the next step, and that requires a NYC Marshal. You contact us with the warrant and relevant case documents, and we issue a Marshal’s Notice to the tenant, which is a legally required notice that must be served before any physical enforcement can occur.
After the notice period, the eviction is scheduled. For a full eviction, a bonded moving company handles the removal of belongings, and we prepare a written inventory of everything in the unit. For legal possession, we return control of the premises to you without a full removal, typically with a defined period for the tenant to collect their belongings. Because tenants in East Harlem are almost always represented through Right to Counsel, having every step handled correctly — with proper documentation and neutral, professional conduct — is essential to avoiding any legal challenge to the enforcement.
What is the difference between a NYC Marshal and a private debt collection agency?
The difference is legal authority. A private collection agency can contact a debtor, report to credit bureaus, and send demand letters. That’s roughly where their power ends. We can garnish wages through income execution, freeze and levy bank accounts, seize personal property and business assets, and physically execute court-ordered evictions. None of those actions are available to a private collector.
Marshals are also regulated differently. Every NYC Marshal operates under oversight from the NYC Department of Investigation, carries a $100,000 public official’s bond, and is appointed through a formal mayoral process that includes a thorough DOI background investigation. Private collectors operating in New York City are subject to the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection’s consumer protection rules — NYC Marshals are not, because we operate under the higher authority of state law. For creditors and landlords in East Harlem who have already won in court and need enforcement that actually produces results, that distinction is the whole point.
How does income execution work, and what if the debtor ignores the first notice?
Income execution is a two-stage process set by New York State law. In the first stage, we serve the income execution on the debtor — often by mail — giving them the opportunity to make voluntary payments of up to 10% of their gross income within the required period. Some debtors comply at this stage. Many don’t.
If the debtor doesn’t respond within the required timeframe, the process moves to stage two: we serve the employer directly. At that point, the employer is legally required to withhold a portion of each paycheck and forward it to us, and we then remit the funds to you after deducting authorized fees and poundage. The garnishment becomes automatic and mandatory — it doesn’t depend on the debtor’s cooperation. For East Harlem creditors dealing with debtors who have already ignored a court judgment, this is typically the most reliable path to actually collecting. Wage garnishment under New York law is capped at 10% of the debtor’s gross wages per paycheck, which is set by statute.
Can a NYC Marshal collect on a small claims court judgment in East Harlem?
Yes. Small claims court judgments are fully enforceable through a NYC Marshal using the same tools available for Civil and Supreme Court judgments — income execution for wage garnishment and property execution for bank accounts and physical assets. The dollar amount of the judgment being smaller doesn’t limit the enforcement options available to you.
This is one of the most common misconceptions among small business owners in East Harlem. If you won a small claims judgment against a customer or contractor — maybe through Manhattan’s Civil Court at 111 Centre Street or through a local proceeding — and they still haven’t paid, you don’t have to accept that outcome. The judgment gives you a legal right to collect. We give you the mechanism to actually do it. Many small business owners along 116th Street or Lexington Avenue assume small claims judgments aren’t worth pursuing after the court date. In most cases, that assumption costs them money they’re legally entitled to recover.
Does the Second Avenue Subway construction affect eviction enforcement timelines in East Harlem?
The active construction along Second Avenue for the Phase 2 subway extension — with planned stations at 106th Street, 116th Street, and 125th Street — does create periodic traffic disruptions along that corridor. It’s worth knowing when scheduling enforcement in areas directly adjacent to the construction zone, particularly for properties near Second Avenue between 96th and 125th Streets.
East Harlem’s grid gives us multiple access routes. First Avenue, Lexington Avenue, the FDR Drive, and the Harlem River Drive all serve the neighborhood, and we account for local conditions when scheduling. The more significant timeline factor in East Harlem is typically the court backlog at the Harlem Community Justice Center — cases that have been in the system since the post-pandemic surge are still working through the docket. Once a warrant issues, moving quickly on enforcement is in every landlord’s interest. Delays after the warrant is in hand only extend the period you’re not in control of your property.
What makes East Harlem eviction enforcement more complex than other Manhattan neighborhoods?
A few things stack up here that don’t apply the same way in most other Manhattan neighborhoods. First, Right to Counsel is effectively universal in East Harlem — the neighborhood’s income profile means nearly every tenant facing eviction qualifies for free legal representation, which makes contested proceedings more common and makes procedural precision in enforcement more important. A misstep that might go unchallenged elsewhere is much more likely to be caught and litigated here.
Second, the Good Cause Eviction law signed in 2024 added new protections for certain market-rate apartments that weren’t previously covered by rent stabilization — and East Harlem has seen significant new market-rate development over the past decade, including more than 3,300 new market-rate units added between 2010 and 2025. Landlords dealing with tenants in those newer units need to understand which protections apply before proceeding.
Third, East Harlem has an active tenant advocacy infrastructure with a long history of organized response to displacement. Enforcement that isn’t conducted correctly and professionally creates exposure. We conduct all enforcement in a neutral, unbiased, and professional manner — which in this neighborhood isn’t just a courtesy, it’s a practical necessity.