Online Alerts

NYC Launches Tenant Protection Ad Campaign, Website

October 31, 2019    

The de Blasio Administration recently launched a campaign to educate tenants on their new rights under the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019. The ads, designed by The Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, give New York City renters the information they need to hold their...

City Council Criticizes City Hall over Lagging Superstorm Sandy Response

October 31, 2019    

At a recent Environment Protection Committee hearing, council members from Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and Manhattan questioned Jainey Bavishi, director of the Mayor’s Office of Recovery & Resiliency. With regard to resiliency projects since Superstorm Sandy, lawmakers stressed...

Tenant Advocacy Group Campaigns for Even Greater Rent Protections

October 31, 2019    

Housing Justice for All, an advocacy group comprising several different tenants’ rights organizations, recently announced a new campaign calling for the state legislature to prioritize housing and invest in guaranteeing homes for New York State residents in 2020. The group wants state...

City Expands Benefits of Rent Freeze Programs for Seniors and Disabled

October 3, 2019    

The city recently released updated guidelines for its rent freeze programs that help senior citizens (aged 62 and over) and tenants with qualifying disabilities (aged 18 and over) stay in housing by freezing their rent. Together, Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) and Disabled Rent...

Comptroller Finds Systemic Failure to Protect Children from Lead Exposure

October 3, 2019    

NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer recently released results of an investigation revealing the city’s systemic failure to protect children from toxic lead. According to the Comptroller, the city failed to use its own data to perform lead inspections in buildings most likely to pose threats to...

Audit Finds DOF Mismanagement of Property-Related Taxes

October 3, 2019    

NYC Comptroller Scott M. Stringer recently released a new audit that found the New York City Department of Finance (DOF) performed lackluster oversight of its Real Property Transfer Tax (RPTT) review processes and its tax collections in Fiscal Years 2016 and 2017. According to the analysis, in...

Proposed Legislation Would Regulate Buyouts

September 11, 2019    

State Sen. Julia Salazar recently introduced a bill in the New York State Senate to place new limitations on buyouts of rent-regulated apartments. The legislation, if approved, would go into effect July 1, 2020.

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez to Introduce New York Housing Ideas at Federal Level

September 11, 2019    

At a recent Public Housing Town Hall meeting in the Bronx, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she plans to introduce the “Just Cause” and Access to Counsel housing-policy ideas at a federal level. Just cause eviction policies limit the grounds upon which an owner may evict a...

Tenant Groups Seek to Join Lawsuit Challenging Rent Regulations

September 11, 2019    

The Legal Aid Society and Legal Services NYC recently asked a federal judge for approval to file a motion to intervene in the rent-law case, which was filed earlier this year by landlords' groups, the Rent Stabilization Association and the Community Housing Improvement Program. The...

DOB Releases Map of Construction Sites Requiring Safety Training

August 7, 2019    

A new interactive map recently released by New York City's Department of Buildings shows 8,000 construction sites where supervisors and workers must have site safety training under Local Law 196 of 2017. The law requires training for workers at large-scale construction projects, such as...

De Blasio Administration Issues Report to Improve Quality of Life for People with Disabilities

August 7, 2019    

In conjunction with the 29th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Mayor de Blasio and the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) Commissioner Victor Calise recently released the 2019 AccessibleNYC report. The fourth annual report provides a...

City Advances on Low-Income Housing Goal for Vulnerable Populations

August 7, 2019    

Mayor de Blasio recently announced that the city financed 25,299 low-income homes in Fiscal Year 2019, and a total of 135,437 affordable homes since 2014. This represents significant strides toward the mayor’s goal to create 300,000 low-income homes by 2026 through the Housing New York (...