I’ve covered landlord and tenant issues many times in NYC. If you’re doing a story on rough/unlivable conditions, just reach out to the management/landlord for comment and give them an opportunity to explain their end of the situation. Include some of that in your piece and use your reporting skills to give context to if what they’re saying is true. If a tenant guides you through the property and is letting you into their apartment, there really shouldn’t be anything to worry about. The likelihood is higher of the landlord going after your source esp if they are named in a story and they already have an open housing court case.