Allow evictions for "Good Cause" only!

 "GOOD CAUSE" EVICTION 

Kathy Sheehan & Kamal Johnson: New York needs good-cause eviction protections (Daily News Opinion)

EXCERPT:

In major victories for tenant advocates this year, Albany and Hudson made history by becoming the first municipalities in New York to enact “Good Cause” legislation meant to keep residents of unregulated buildings safely housed and to prevent homelessness. With the passage of this legislation, tenants can defend themselves against retaliatory evictions, advocate for repairs, and receive protection against exorbitant rent hikes — making the innovative housing policies adopted in Albany and Hudson the first stop in a campaign to take Good Cause legislation statewide and extend these protections to all New Yorkers.

See also: 

Lana Bellamy: Newburgh becomes first mid-Hudson city to pass "good cause eviction" law (Middletown Times Herald-Record)
Zach Williams: Progressives score another victory as Newburgh passes good cause legislation (City & State)
Suzannah Cavanaugh: Landlords smell "good cause" in Hochul's new tenant protections (The Real Deal)
David Brand: NYC tenants reignite push for good cause eviction protections despite landlord opposition (City Limits)

Heat Season began Oct. 1st and goes through May 31st.

 

(Illustration from the NYC Dept. of Housing Preservation and Development)

Landlords must provide heat to tenants from October 1st through May 31st each year under these conditions:

DAY:  6 AM to 10 PM - If the outside temperature is below 55° F, the inside temperature must be at least 68° F.  

NIGHT:  10 PM to 6 AM - The inside temperature must be at least 62°F regardless of the outside temperature. 

Measure the indoor temperature with a digital thermometer in the middle of your room.

 

Tenants PAC's Michael McKee sends Articles of Interest to Tenant Advocates.  Get on the email list (scroll down the page to the bottom)!

Excepted from Tenants PAC emails:

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10/16/2021

RENTS SURGE, CO-OP & CONDO MARKETS RECOVER

Jake Offenhartz: NYC tenants are waging bidding wars on vacant apartments as rental demand surges (Gothamist)

Brooklyn Daily Eagle: Brooklyn's co-op, condo real estate market steadily recovers from the pandemic
Emily Davenport: NYC files suit against company accused of unlawful advertising of illegal short-term rentals (amNY)

GOOD CAUSE EVICTION (Eviction only for good cause)

Sam Raudins: Mayor of Hudson vetoes good cause eviction bill to allow Common Council to amend it (HudsonValley360)
Kate Ham: Good cause legislation would protect 1.6 million households, nearly 50 percent of tenants statewide (Community Service Society)

Will Parker: Mass evictions didn't result after U.S. eviction ban ended; rental assistance, local policies helped (Wall Street Journal)

CREATING MORE HOUSING

Rochester City Newspaper: Activists, Jumaane Williams call for Cadillac Hotel to be converted to permanent housing for homeless Rochester residents

BASEMENT UNITS
Beth Finkel: The right way to legalize accessory dwelling units (Daily News Opinion)

GOV. HOCHUL

Nick Reisman: Gov. Hochul announces that the state has settled the long-standing lawsuit over funding for public schools (NY State of Politics)

Zach Williams: Why is Kathy Hochul calling Cynthia Nixon? (City & State)

New York Post: Gov. Hochul meets with families of nursing home COVID victims, offers apology

Nick Reisman: Judicial panel forwards its list of possible candidates for top court to Gov. Hochul (NY State of Politics)

New York 1 News: Cuomo's "wrong way" LaGuardia AirTrain project halted as Port Authority reviews possible alternatives


FEDERAL BUILD-BACK-BETTER BILL
Todd Gitlin: Look what's inside the bill, please: the details of the $3.5 trillion package (Daily News Opinion)

INFLATION
Jeanna Smialek: Consumer prices surge in September, worrying Washington & Wall Street (New York Times)
Larry Rulison: Upstate consumers fear inflation as holidays approach (Albany Times Union)
New York Times: Everything is getting more expensive
Dan Burns: Social security payments for 2022 will increase by 5.9 percent, highest since 1982 (amny/Reuters)
Stan Choe: Heating bills set to soar as inflation hits energy prices (AP)
Beth Adams: Consumer confidence nose-dives amid inflation and supply chain problems (WXXI)

BUFFALO MAYOR RACE - Dem. India Walton
Bob McCarthy: India Walton campaign says 1/3 of Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown's contributions are from Republicans or Conservatives (Buffalo News)
John Nichols: Why won't New York's top Democrats Kathy Hochul & Jay Jacobs support the Democratic nominee for Mayor of Buffalo? (The Nation)
Bill Mahoney: Buffalo's unprecedented mayoral race tests New York Democrats (Politico NY)

REZONING 
Mark Hallum: Proponents of Cuomo's Penn Station redevelopment project urge Hochul to proceed with its implementation (amNY)

Raanan Geberer: Opponents of Gowanus rezoning hire prominent environmental lawyer (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

NY CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
Nick Reisman: Citizens Union opposes constitutional amendment on redistricting (NY State of Politics)

LOOPHOLES FOR THE RICH

David Wessel: Opportunity zones: Another tax loophole for the rich (New York Times Opinion)
Caleb Melby: Loophole allows young people from affluent families to buy HDFC apartments intended for low-income NYC residents (Bloomberg Businessweek)

DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Ezra Klein: Sleepwalking into catastrophe: David Shor is telling Democrats what they don't want to hear (New York Times)
Thomas Edsall: Democrats can't simply give the people what they want (New York Times Opinion)
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9/28/2021

RENT REGULATION WORKS

Cea Weaver: There's no denying the data: rent control works (The Hill Opinion)

Kenny Stancil: Fed up with rent insanity, Berliners vote overwhelmingly to expropriate 240,000 apartments from corporate landlords, convert them to social housing (Common Dreams/Portside)
Reuters: Berliners vote to expropriate apartments held by large landlords in non-binding referendum

EVICTIONS

Finger Lakes 1 News: Westchester County has highest number of eviction filings outside NYC; Suffolk, Monroe, Erie Counties next highest

REZONING

Kirstyn Brendlen: NYC Planning Commission approves Gowanus rezoning (Brooklyn Paper)
Gabriel Sandoval: NYC Planning Commission rejects proposed Franklin Avenue towers that would cast shadows on the Brooklyn Botanical Garden (The City)

NYCHA

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer: NYCHA needs big money for major progress; Congress should double the funds (City & State Opinion)

STATE REDISTRICTING
Gabriel Poblete: Redistricting is on the November ballot. Here's what voters will be considering (City & State)
Advance Media: New York's experiment with independent redistricting is an epic flop (Brooklyn Daily Eagle Opinion)

GOV. HOCHUL CLEANS HOUSE

Zach Williams: So, about that Assembly Cuomo impeachment report ... (City & State)
New York Post: Gov. Hochul cleans house: several Cuomo cronies to resign
Susan Arbetter: State senator Gustavo Rivera says resignation of Cuomo's Health Commissioner Howard Zucker is warranted (Capital Tonight) (VIDEO)
Empire Report: Gov. Hochul appoints Dr. Mary T. Bassett as new health commissioner
Nick Reisman: Gov. Hochul tells business leaders she is willing to break with Cuomo's economic development policies (NY State of Politics)

Brendan Lyons: Gianaris seeks overhaul of judicial selection process, seeks more diverse candidates for top state court as vacancy nears (Albany Times Union) 

POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS

New York Post: Jumaane Williams mulls run for governor against Kathy Hochul in June 2022 Democratic primary
Hunter Walker: Jumaane Williams exploring 2022 bid for governor (New York Magazine Intelligencer)
Katie Glueck: Jumaane Williams exploring run for governor in Democratic Party litmus test (New York Times)
Rebecca Lewis: Tish James addresses business leaders, sounding as if she is planning to run for governor (City & State)
Brigid Bergin: "It was a stump speech": Letitia James tests waters at power breakfast while defending Cuomo report (Gothamist/WNYC)

David Pikus: Ousting Andrew Cuomo was a coup, orchestrated by socialists and his political competitors (Newsday Opinion)
Morgan McKay: Attorney General Tish James rebuts claim by longtime Cuomo supporter David Pikus that her report on sexual harassment was politcally motivated (NY State of Politics)


David Cruz: Cordell Cleare, advocate against lead poisoning, wins Democratic Party nod for Brian Benjamin's state senate seat (Gothamist)
David Cruz: Bronx Democratic Party chooses Yudelka Tapia for special election to fill Victor Pichardo's state assembly seat (Gothamist)
Jeff Coltin: Socialist Alana Sivin plans to challenge incumbent Brian Kavanagh for state senate in 2022 (City & State)
Jasmine Sheena: NYC progressives raise funds for India Walton, Democratic candidate for mayor of Buffalo (City & State)


Steve Hughes: State minimum wage to increase to $13.20 per hour upstate on January 1, to $15 in Westchester and Long Island (Albany Times Union)


ERIC ADAMS, DEM. CANDIDATE FOR NYC MAYOR
Greg Smith: Eric Adams misses city inspectors again after illegal apartment complaint on his Brooklyn building (The City)
New York Times: Eric Adams gets cozy with Mike Bloomberg

NYC NEWS

David Brand: NYC severing ties with troubled homeless service provider Aquila, Inc. (City Limits)
Jon Lentz: New York City Council will have more Latino members after November 2 election (City & State)
The City: New York City Council passes landmark protections for food delivery workers
Jim O'Grady: Uncertain future for NYC's program to bring dangerous basement apartments up to code (Gothamist/WNYC)
Katie Honan: Google continues expansion in NYC but will not take building tax breaks that Amazon pursued for its aborted Long Island City headquarters (The City)
Akiko Matsuda: Bronx project-based Section 8 development sold for $91 million (The Real Deal)
Stefanos Chen: Residents of super-tall luxury condo sue developers for $125 million, citing construction defects (New York Times)
Jake Offenhartz: Costly broker fees, scourge of NYC renters, are back with a vengeance (Gothamist) 
Kathleen Culliton: Applicants who were denied apartments because they had vouchers sue Chestnut Holdings, claiming illegal discrimination based on source of income (Patch)

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9/8/2021

State Extends Eviction Moratorium

Jason Linkins: The end of the federal eviction moratorium highlights the Democratic Party's staggering legislative impotence (New Republic Soapbox)
https://newrepublic.com/article/163548/democrats-midterm-elections-eviction-moratorium
Morgan McKay: NYS lawmakers extend New York's eviction moratorium in an extraordinary session (NY State of Politics) (VIDEO)
Joshua Solomon: Albany legislators extend eviction moratorium to January 15, 2022 (Albany Times Union)
Dan Clark: Albany lawmakers extend ban on evictions, with new exceptions (Rochester City Newspaper)
Nick Reisman: Small landlords face struggles as NYS eviction moratorium extended (NY State of Politics) (VIDEO)

Federal Aid Ends

Alicia Adamczyk: Advocates warn of "perfect storm" as eviction bans, unemployment benefits end (CNBC)
AP News: Two anchors of COVID safety net are ending, threatening millions
New York Post: Hochul says state will not cover COVID-related unemployment benefits for 1.6 million New Yorkers when fed program ends (VIDEO)

Bill Mahoney: Hochul's first bill suspends Open Meetings Law (Politico NY)
Nick Reisman: Analysis: A new governor's busy first week (NY State of Politics) 
Nick Reisman: Hochul names Kathryn Garcia director of state operations (NY State of Politics)
Chris Bragg: Two more Cuomo appointees to JCOPE resign (Albany Times Union)
Eric Lach: Andrew Cuomo left behind a rent relief debacle (The New Yorker)
Albany Times Union editorial: Andrew Cuomo should not be allowed to use $18 million campaign fund for revenge

Illegal Basement Apartments

Note:  The current requirements for a legal basement apartment might not have saved the 11 who died in Hurricane Ida.  Those requirements protect against fire, rather than flooding - which would be helped if tenants had egress to a higher floor. 

New York Times: NYC storm deaths highlight shadow world of illegal basement apartments
Daily News: Ten drowning victims in NYC lived in illegal basement apartments
New York Times: Queens homeowners devastated by Hurricane Ida floods
The City: In aftermath of drownings, advocates renew call for legalization of basement apartments to make them safe
Jeffery Mays: De Blasio plan to evacuate basement apartments in rainstorms not adequate, say critics (New York Times)


Michael Gartland: New York City Council considers bill to prohibit criminal background checks for prospective tenants (Daily News)

Boston Globe: Boston Mayor Janey and health officials ban evictions (Portside)

Rebecca Lewis: TThe race to replace State Sen. Brian Benjamin is on (City & State)
Ese Olumhense: Brian Benjamin's elevation to lieutenant governor leaves his state senate open. What happens now? (City Limits)

Abby Fridmann: State Senator Sean Ryan endorses India Walton in Buffalo mayoral race, calls for end to subsidies for luxury development (WIVB) (VIDEO)

The City: NYC state senators refuse to commit to voting for commission redistricting maps
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McKee's Media, 8/27/2021

 

ARTICLES OF INTEREST TO TENANT ADVOCATES: SUPREME COURT BLOCKS CDC EVICTION MORATORIUM John Kruzel: U.S. Supreme Court blocks Biden's eviction moratorium on 6-3 vote (The Hill) Adam Liptak, Hundreds of thousands of tenants at risk of being put out of their homes (NY Times) POOR DISTRIBUTION OF EMERG. RENTAL ASSISTANCE New York Times: As White House braces for Supreme Court decision, only 11 percent of rental assistance funds have been distributed Daily News/AP: Treasury Dept. says that states and localities have distributed only 11 percent of billions in rent relief funds; millions of tenants at risk of eviction NYS's ERAP: David Brand: Good government groups urge probe of $115 million contract to outside vendor hired to implement COVID rent relief program (City Limits) HIGH RENTS and WAREHOUSING Mihir Zaveri: NYC asking rents on vacant apartments rise even as thousands struggle to pay (New York Times) Gus Saltonstall: Lincoln Square neighborhood on Upper West Side of Manhattan has greatest number of empty apartments in NYC (Patch)

Emergency Rental Assistance Program relaxing some requirements

From the August 9, 2021 email of Assembly Member Daniel O'Donnell concerning NY State's Emergency Rental Assistance Program:

On July 27th, Governor Cuomo announced that New York will relax documentation requirements for tenants and landlords, streamline the application process, and bring on board at least 350 volunteers from other state agencies to help process applications. These changes will result in payments being sent out for all pending and verified applications by the end of August.

As an additional reminder, state eviction protections have been extended through August 31, 2021 for tenants who lost income or had increased costs during the pandemic, or for whom moving would pose a significant health risk.

If you are interested in finding additional rental assistance programs in the area, please you can check out this new tool introduced by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)  (www.consumerfinance.gov/renthelp). 

** Please be advised that while the state eviction moratorium expires August 31st, the federal moratorium will now run through October 3rd. The new moratorium covers any parts of the country with “high or substantial” COVID-19 transmissibility rates, which includes all five boroughs of the city as well as several other New York counties. The federal moratorium applies to buildings with federal financing - including Section 8. 

Because of state computer glitches, you MUST provide all the documentation needed at the time you fill out the application.  You can't do it part way and then save it and come back later. 

Make sure to watch the video (English and Spanish) on the ERAP website before you start your application. 

What can we expect if Eric Adams, the Dem. nominee, is elected Mayor of NYC?

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams was chosen as the Democratic candidate for Mayor of New York - and is therefore likely to be elected mayor.  What are his own housing history and his policies?

Below are some excerpts. from a NY Times article and a City & State article about him.  

NY TIMES: NYCHA: Mr. Adams said he planned to raise $8 billion for NYCHA by selling the so-called air rights for some of its properties to private developers, something the authority has already begun to explore.

City & State: Excerpt from Ross Barkan article.

Take rent-stabilization. The mayor of New York City does not have much power over the city’s tenant laws – the state Legislature and the governor decide them – but the mayor does appoint new members to the Rent Guidelines Board, which decides how much in rent more than two million tenants in rent-stabilized apartments will pay.

Most of the candidates, even those who are close to the real estate industry such as Andrew Yang and former Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia, have spoken warmly about the idea of a rent freeze – but not Adams. “The greatest wealth of Black and brown people in this city is in their property. So when we start making any decisions on small property owners, we need to factor that,” Adams said recently. “Because if we’re not going to freeze mortgage payments for small property owners, if we’re not going to rollback their mortgage payments, then we need to be careful.”

NYC Rent Guidelines Bd's Preliminary Vote

The New York City Rent Guidelines Board held a preliminary vote on May 5, 2021  

They proposed that for rent stabilized apartment and loft leases to be renewed any time from October 1, 2021 through September 31, 2022:

• For 1-year leases, an increase of 0 to 2%  (so a rent freeze is possible)
• For 2-year leases, an increases of 1-3%.

For rent stabilized hotels: A rent freeze (no increase). 

Rent controlled apartment leases are guided by an average of the previous 5-year rent guidelines. 

Public hearings will be held on Tuesday, June 15 and Thursday, June 17. 

The final vote will be held on Wednesday, June 23 (the day after NYC primary elections).