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City Comptroller Scott Stringer recently issued a policy brief calling for a “Tenant Bill of Rights” to be provided in every lease packet. He’s calling for legislation that would mandate this communication. Stringer believes current leases are confusing to tenants and can hide information due to fine print and obscure language. His solution is to incorporate with every lease a Bill of Rights that would serve as a reminder of the rights and expectations...
The de Blasio administration recently announced the expansion of free legal services to more New York residents facing eviction. This expansion represents the next phase in the right-to-counsel initiative, originally passed in 2017 by the City Council, which became the first-in-the-nation plan to provide guaranteed free legal representation to tenants facing eviction in housing court.
As New York City grapples with record numbers of homeless people, city officials have agreed to force developers of designated low-income projects to set aside 15 percent of the units for the homeless. The requirement will be the centerpiece of a bill that has broad support among City Council members. The legislation, which applies to rental buildings with more than 40 units, is estimated to add roughly 1,000 new apartments for the homeless a year, almost doubling the 1...
The Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) recently asked the city to help owners cover the costs of lead abatement in their buildings in testimony submitted to the City Council. The industry group argued that changes to the state’s rent law hinders owners’ abilities to pay for lead testing and mitigation. The group pointed to the law’s limiting of renovation costs that can be passed onto rent-stabilized tenants to $15,000 over 15 years.
Former owners of a rental building in Far Rockaway have agreed to pay $1 million to settle a federal lawsuit accusing them of discriminating against people who had been incarcerated. The lawsuit claimed that the owner refused to rent apartments to applicants who had served time in prison. The case originated back in 2014 when a social service provider accused the owners in Brooklyn federal court of violating the Fair Housing Act by automatically refusing to rent to some...
The City Council’s Committee on Housing and Buildings recently received a bill that would require building owners to provide residents with mechanical keys to their buildings and individual apartments. This would allow residents to bypass keyless entry systems, which can include facial recognition scanners. “Smart locks” could still be used, but providing old-fashioned mechanical keys to tenants would allow them to opt-out of having their faces or othe...
Privacy concerns by tenants and civil liberties experts have prompted the New York City Council to consider legislation that would regulate the use of facial recognition technology by both business owners and landlords. The KEYS (Keep Entry to Your Home Surveillance Free) Act, introduced by Brooklyn Councilmember Brad Lander, would require owners to provide tenants with traditional metal keys to enter their buildings and apartments.
An administrative judge recently ruled that a landlord had violated the city’s human rights law for threatening to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on a tenant. The judge recommended she pay $17,000 in a fine and damages. New York’s Commission on Human Rights alleged that the landlord texted and emailed the tenant that she would call ICE if the tenant didn’t pay her rent.
On Aug. 14, 2019, the City Council passed Intro 30-A, which gives HPD liens a stronger position. It establishes that outstanding charges resulting from relocation expenses incurred by HPD following the issuance of certain vacate orders constitute a tax lien on a property. In other words, after HPD issues an order to vacate the premises, the subsequent costs to relocate the displaced tenant will now be considered high-status tax liens on the property.
The public comment period for the Fire Department’s proposed rule regarding implementation of Local Law Nos. 114 and 115 of 2018 recently closed. The Fire Department will review the testimony and modify the rules based on the public’s feedback, if necessary, then draft a final version. A copy will be posted on NYC Rules, published in the City Record, and submitted to the City Council.
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