The Judgment Was Just the Beginning
Winning in Housing Court doesn’t remove the tenant. A separately issued Warrant of Eviction — executed by an officially appointed NYC Marshal — is what actually puts you back in possession of your property.
Appointed, Bonded, and Accountable
Mayoral Appointment, Badge 14
NYC Marshal Edward Guida holds an official mayoral appointment — not a private license. That means full legal authority to execute warrants across all five boroughs: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.
Family Legacy Since 1988
Edward Guida Sr. founded this office in 1988. Edward Jr. took over in 2016. The same staff, the same standards, nearly four decades of uninterrupted NYC civil enforcement experience.
DOI Cleared and Fully Bonded
Every NYC Marshal clears a full Department of Investigation background check and carries a $100,000 public official’s bond — mandatory oversight that protects you and your case.
All Five Boroughs Covered
One office. One relationship. Whether the property is in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, or Staten Island, we handle the warrant execution from start to finish.
NYC Eviction Warrant Execution
What Actually Happens After the Court Rules
A lot of landlords are surprised to learn that a judgment of possession doesn’t end the process. The court has ruled in your favor — but the tenant is still there. To physically regain your property, a Warrant of Eviction must be issued and executed by an authorized NYC Marshal. That’s where we come in.
Once the court issues the warrant, our office requisitions it, serves the mandatory notice, and schedules the execution. We handle every step with the procedural precision NYC’s housing courts require — because one missed step can void the eviction entirely and send you back to the beginning.
NYC saw over 96,000 residential eviction petitions filed in 2024 alone. The process is high-volume, tightly regulated, and unforgiving of errors. Experience matters here more than almost anywhere else in civil enforcement.
Marshal Warrant Execution NYC
What You Get When the Process Is Done Right
A clean, legally sound execution protects your property, your timeline, and your standing in court — now and in the future.
- You regain possession of your property without the risk of the eviction being voided on a procedural technicality.
- The mandatory 14-day notice period is managed precisely, so your earliest execution date isn’t pushed back by avoidable delays.
- All locks are changed at the time of execution, and your property is formally back under your control from that moment forward.
- You know exactly what’s happening and when — we communicate clearly throughout the process, not just at the end.
- If legal possession is the right option for your situation, we’ll explain the difference upfront so you can make an informed decision before execution day.
- With staff who have worked in this office for decades, you get institutional knowledge of NYC Housing Court procedures that newer operations simply don’t have.
Warrant of Eviction NYC Process
The Step Most Landlords Don’t See Coming
Here’s the part that catches people off guard: in New York State, it is illegal for a landlord to remove a tenant on their own — even after winning in court. Changing the locks yourself, removing belongings, or shutting off utilities before a marshal executes the warrant exposes you to serious legal liability. The law is clear on this, and NYC enforces it strictly.
The Warrant of Eviction is a separate court document. After your judgment of possession is granted, the warrant must be requisitioned through a marshal’s office, issued by the court, and then formally served on the tenant. Only after the mandatory notice period has elapsed can physical execution take place.
This is why the choice of marshal matters. NYC’s tenant-protective legal environment — including the 2024 Good Cause Eviction law, the Right-to-Counsel program that gives many tenants free legal representation, and strict notice requirements — means there are multiple points in this process where a procedural error can restart the clock. We’ve been navigating these requirements across all five boroughs for over 35 years. That’s not a marketing line — it’s the reason landlords and their attorneys come back to us.
Legal Possession vs Full Eviction NYC
Two Options Most Landlords Don’t Know Exist
When a Warrant of Eviction is issued, there are actually two ways it can be carried out — and most landlords don’t realize they have a choice until execution day.
A full eviction means the tenant and their belongings are removed from the premises. A legal possession means we take formal control of the property on your behalf, but the tenant’s personal property remains under your care temporarily while they arrange removal. This option can reduce conflict, lower the risk of damage claims, and — depending on your situation — may be the more practical path.
We walk you through both options before anything is scheduled. You make the call with full information, not guesswork. That’s how it should work, and it’s a distinction most marshal offices don’t bother to explain.
Execute Eviction Warrant NYC Steps
From Judgment to Possession — Here’s the Path
Submit Your Warrant Documents
You provide the judgment of possession and required court documents. We review everything and requisition the Warrant of Eviction through the court on your behalf.
Notice Served, Date Confirmed
We serve the mandatory notice of eviction on the tenant. The 14-day notice period begins, and we establish the earliest legally permissible execution date.
Execution Day — Property Returned
We arrive at the property, carry out the eviction in full compliance with court requirements, change the locks, and formally return possession to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
I won in Housing Court — why can’t I just change the locks myself?
This is probably the most common question we hear, and the answer is straightforward: in New York State, self-help eviction is illegal — full stop. It doesn’t matter that the court ruled in your favor. Changing the locks, removing the tenant’s belongings, or cutting off utilities before a marshal executes the warrant exposes you to civil liability and can actually give the tenant grounds to take legal action against you. The only lawful way to physically remove a tenant in NYC is through a court-issued Warrant of Eviction executed by an authorized marshal or sheriff. That’s not a formality — it’s a hard legal requirement, and skipping it can cost you far more than the eviction itself.
What is the difference between a judgment of possession and a warrant of eviction?
A judgment of possession is the court’s ruling that you are entitled to reclaim your property. It’s an important win — but it doesn’t physically remove the tenant. A Warrant of Eviction is a separate court document that authorizes a marshal to carry out the actual removal. After the judgment is entered, the warrant must be requisitioned through a marshal’s office, reviewed and issued by the court, served on the tenant with proper notice, and then executed on or after the earliest legally permitted date. Think of the judgment as the green light and the warrant as the vehicle that actually gets you there.
How long does the warrant execution process take in NYC?
Once we have your documents and the warrant is requisitioned, the court issues the warrant and establishes the earliest execution date. From there, we serve the mandatory 14-day notice on the tenant — meaning no execution can take place until at least 14 days after that notice is served. The Bronx Housing Court at 851 Grand Concourse and Brooklyn Housing Court at 141 Livingston Street together handled over 7,500 marshal evictions in 2023, so processing timelines can shift depending on court volume. We move as quickly as the court allows and keep you informed at every stage.
What happens if the tenant files an Order to Show Cause before the execution date?
An Order to Show Cause is the tenant’s legal mechanism to request a stay of the eviction — essentially asking the court to pause the process and hear their argument. If one is filed and granted, it temporarily halts execution until the court holds a hearing. This is more common in NYC than in most other jurisdictions, partly because the Right-to-Counsel program gives qualifying tenants access to free legal representation. It’s frustrating, but it’s part of the process. When you work with an experienced marshal office, we make sure our end of the execution is procedurally airtight — so there’s no technical basis on our side that could compound the delay or give a judge additional reason to extend a stay.
Does NYC Marshal Edward Guida handle evictions in all five boroughs, including the Bronx and Staten Island?
Yes — we are authorized to execute warrants of eviction in all five boroughs: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. Each borough has its own Housing Court location with its own procedural rhythms and processing timelines. The Bronx Housing Court at 851 Grand Concourse recorded 4,000 marshal evictions in 2023, the highest of any borough. We’ve been working across all five courts for decades, and that familiarity makes a real difference in how efficiently your case moves.
What is a legal possession, and how is it different from a full eviction?
When we execute a warrant of eviction, there are two ways it can be carried out. A full eviction removes both the tenant and their personal belongings from the premises on execution day. A legal possession means we formally take control of the property on your behalf, but the tenant’s belongings remain temporarily under your care while they arrange to retrieve them. Legal possession can reduce the risk of confrontation, lower your exposure to damage claims related to the handling of the tenant’s property, and sometimes makes the transition smoother overall. We explain both options before anything is scheduled so you can decide which approach fits your situation — not just the one that’s easiest for us to execute.
Call us at (718) 779-2134 or email us at guidajr@nycmarshal14.com to see how we can help you.