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NY Legislature Passes $100M Rent Voucher Bill

June 3, 2020    

On May 28, the State Senate and Assembly voted to approve a bill to create a $100 million fund to pay rents for people who have lost income because of the COVID-19 crisis. The Emergency Rent Relief Act of 2020 passed the Senate by a vote of 61-0 and the Assembly by a 98-45 margin. It now heads...

Mayor de Blasio Signs COVID-19 Relief Bills into Law

June 3, 2020    

On May 26, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed a package of COVID-19 relief bills into law during New York City’s first ever virtual bill signing. One bill, Intro. 1936-A, expands the definition of “tenant harassment” to protect tenants from threats based on status as an...

Apartment Law Insider Wins Newsletter Award

June 3, 2020    

For the fourth year in a row, New York Apartment Law Insider has been recognized by the Specialized Information Publishers Association as one of the best business newsletters published today. Also among the top three newsletters awarded was the Insider's sister publication...

OATH Extends Physical Closure, Telephonic Hearings

May 6, 2020    

The Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) is New York City’s central independent administrative law court. The OATH Hearings Division is responsible for holding hearings on summonses issued by a variety of agencies for alleged quality-of-life violations. It adjudicates...

City Council Committees Consider Two COVID-19 Tenant Protection Bills

May 6, 2020    

On April 28, 2020, the City Council Committee on Housing and Buildings and Committee on Consumer Affairs and Business Licensing held a joint public hearing on two bills that would provide protection to residential and commercial tenants who are financially impacted by COVID-19.

Q&A: Using the Shared Work Program to Cut Payroll Temporarily

May 5, 2020    

The Insider recently spoke with Phyllis Weisberg, partner at Armstrong Teasdale, about New York’s Shared Work Program and how it could help ease building staff costs during the COVID-19 health crisis.

Q: What exactly is the Shared Work Program?

Mayor de Blasio Calls for Rent Freeze Amid COVID-19 Crisis

April 1, 2020    

On March 27, Mayor de Blasio called for a rent freeze for 2.3 million tenants in nearly 1 million rent-stabilized units across the city amid the COVID-19 epidemic.

Three Proposals Circulating for Tenant COVID-19 Relief

April 1, 2020    

Elected local officials and community housing advocates are applying pressure and calling for actions to address COVID-19’s economic fallout for tenants for New York City. Here are three such proposals:

Fines of Up to $10K for Work on Non-Essential Construction

April 1, 2020    

On March 27, Governor Cuomo announced a New York State fine would take effect on March 31. According to new DOB protocols, project teams in New York City may be fined up to $10,000 if found working on non-essential or non-emergency construction—or if workers on projects that are allowed to...

Property Tax Reform Commission to Launch Next Round of Public Hearings

March 5, 2020    

The NYC Advisory Commission on Property Tax Reform announced that the first hearing following the release of its preliminary report will take place on Thursday, March 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the Petrides School Auditorium (C-Building) at 715 Ocean Terrace on Staten Island.

Record-Breaking Decrease in Evictions Citywide

March 5, 2020    

Residential evictions in New York City decreased 15 percent from the previous year, representing the largest single-year decrease in evictions since Mayor de Blasio signed the first-in-the-nation right-to-counsel law and launched the city’s Universal Access to Counsel Program. Residential...

Mayor de Blasio Signs Legislation Strengthening Lead Laws

March 5, 2020    

Mayor de Blasio recently signed a package of bills intended to strengthen existing lead laws, close loopholes that endanger children, and increase protections for pregnant women from the devastating effects of lead poisoning. In 2019, the City Council passed several pieces of lead-related...