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New York City Council’s Committee on Housing and Buildings has jurisdiction over the city’s rent regulation policies and practices, as well as the Department of Buildings (DOB) and Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). The committee met on Oct. 16 to consider various legislation related to housing and building in New York City. Here’s an overview of the wide variety of issues and legislation covered at the hearing.
The de Blasio Administration recently announced the implementation of the Certification of No Harassment (CONH) Pilot Program, established by a new law that requires buildings that meet certain criteria to certify that no tenant harassment has taken place before being granted construction permits to significantly alter their properties. The city also published the list of more than 1,000 buildings with approximately 26,000 units that will now be subject to the CONH prog...
In April of 2016, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed three bills that were designed to help the city collect $1.6 billion in outstanding fines for everything from building code infractions to tickets from the sanitation department. But the latest figures indicate that the value of the city’s claim has barely changed. According to data compiled by Housing Rights Initiative, the Department of Finance records show the city is owed more than $1.5 billion in various sanitatio...
The DOB recently issued 43 violations and $285,375 in penalties against landlords for illegal transient use of 11 different buildings. Although the city has long prohibited renting out apartments as hotels, the rise of vacation rental sites such as Airbnb and Homeaway.com have driven a corresponding increase in enforcement against illegal short-term sublets from city agencies.
The de Blasio administration recently released the Mayor’s Management Report (MMR) for Fiscal Year 2018, an analysis of city agencies’ performance from July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018. The MMR presents more than 1,700 metrics from 45 city agencies that measure the city’s performance in providing services to New Yorkers.
Mayor Bill de Blasio recently signed into law a landmark bill that forces home-sharing companies such as Airbnb to disclose information about its New York City hosts. The new law will take effect in February 2019 and requires Airbnb to disclose the names and addresses of its hosts. The information will be turned over to the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement.
Last October, New York landlord Steven Croman was sent to jail for a year and fined $5 million after being found criminally liable for fraud and tax evasion. New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood recently announced that Croman’s former tenants could be in for a share of an $8 million restitution fund. The restitution fund comes from a separate civil action brought by the Attorney General against Croman and his agent Anthony Falconite for engaging in illegal,...
Fact Sheets describe the major elements of rent control and rent stabilization in New York City. The DHCR recently updated Fact Sheet #9, which covers security deposits and other charges, and Fact Sheet #11, which covers demolition.
The update to Fact Sheet #9 says the security deposit amount for a rent-regulated apartment is generally limited by law to one month’s rent. The DHCR added language stating that it is unlawful for the owner to ask for an addition...
The City Council recently overwhelmingly approved a plan to rezone a large swath of Inwood. The proposal is part of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan to rezone up to 15 neighborhoods across the city and create and preserve 300,000 units of low-income housing by 2026. Inwood became the fifth neighborhood to be rezoned under the plan.
The New York City Council recently passed a bill that requires Airbnb and other home-sharing sites to provide the names and addresses of its hosts to the city. Under state law, it’s illegal to rent out an apartment for less than 30 days unless the permanent tenant is there. If the host is found to be violating short-term rental laws, Airbnb could be fined up to $1,500. The bill, which was introduced by Councilmember Carlina Rivera (D-Dist. 2) as Int 0981-2018 and ...
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