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On Jan. 10, at the State of the City, Mayor de Blasio signed an executive order establishing the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, which will lead comprehensive outreach on anti-harassment initiatives and be the central point of contact for tenant advocates. The mayor recently appointed Jackie Bray as director of the new office.

An East Village owner is asking a bankruptcy court to terminate tenants’ leases on the grounds that a proposed $8.2 million sale of the building can’t go through while the rent-stabilized leases are in place. The building has 16 rent-stabilized units and eight tenants at the building have been withholding rent for months over a range of problems, including lack of heat, failure to make necessary repairs, and rodents. The building currently has 68 outstanding...

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz recently introduced a bill to change the state law when it comes to tenants who wish to file a rent overcharge complaint. Currently, tenants can request their rent history from the DHCR and file a complaint if they see their rent was increased beyond the legal limit within the last four years. Dinowitz’s bill would remove that statute of limitations, making any rent overcharge, no matter how long ago the illegal rent increase happened,...

NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer recently testified before the New York City Council Committee on Finance’s Fiscal Year 2020 Preliminary Budget Hearing. This year, the comptroller continues the watch list of city agencies that are of most concern when it comes to budgeting. The list spotlights city departments without demonstrable results for their spending.

Mayor de Blasio recently released the findings of a study that determined the city’s comprehensive strategy for the Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency (LMCR) project. The study evaluated dozens of adaptation measures and identified a set of strategies to build resilience in Lower Manhattan. The recommendations include developing a plan to extend the Manhattan shoreline into the East River to protect the low-lying and highly constrained Seaport and Financial Distri...

DOB recently published a new, interactive map that provides greater insight into how the department interacts with the nearly 1.1 million buildings and 45,000 active construction sites it regulates. The map provides a 12-month snapshot of building permits, complaints, inspections, violations, and accident reports for every property in the city.

The New York City Council recently voted in favor of creating a pilot program to expand the city’s housing stock by facilitating the creation of basement apartments in East New York. This program would also aid eligible property owners with low-cost loans. While modest in its initial scope at 40 units, the program could have an impact on the city’s housing supply if it’s adopted in all five boroughs.

City and state legislation recently was introduced that would regulate security deposits on apartment rentals. State Senator Brad Holyman, who represents much of Downtown and Midtown Manhattan, is a co-sponsor of the state legislation. And Councilmembers Carlina Rivera and Keith Powers introduced several bills at the city level.

Governor Cuomo recently announced the launch of NYS Rent Connect, a new online service that modernizes and simplifies New Yorkers' interaction with the rent regulation system. It provides quick access to forms and information for tenants and building owners of rent-stabilized and rent-controlled apartments and buildings in New York City, Nassau, Westchester, and Rockland Counties. NYS Rent Connect can be accessed http://r...

The de Blasio administration recently announced that residential evictions by marshals declined 37 percent since 2013, with approximately 18,000 evictions in 2018 compared to nearly 29,000 evictions in 2013. In 2018 alone, evictions decreased 14 percent, with 3,000 households and more than 8,000 New Yorkers across the five boroughs able to remain in their homes as a result.