Online Alerts

NYS High Court Hears Series of Rent Overcharge Cases

January 8, 2020    

The New York Court of Appeals on Tuesday, Jan. 7, held a hearing on five cases that involved claims that tenants were overcharged rent by their landlords, who had removed their apartments from rent stabilization while collecting J-51 tax benefits.

Each of the cases cite the pivotal 2009...

De Blasio Administration Releases Draft Plan to Promote Fair Housing

January 8, 2020    

The de Blasio Administration released the Where We Live NYC Draft Plan for public review. This is the city’s comprehensive plan to promote fair housing and take action to advance opportunity for all New Yorkers The Where We Live NYC Draft Plan outlines key goals and strategies to address...

City Council Passes Temperature Monitoring Bill

January 8, 2020    

On Dec. 19, the City Council passed a bill that would require owners to install temperature monitoring devices in buildings with heat problems. The legislation would require HPD to identify 50 class A multiple dwellings based on factors including the number of temperature violations and heat-...

Gov. Cuomo Signs New Law Making Tenant Harassment Easier to Prove

December 4, 2019    

The governor recently signed a bill package from Attorney General Letitia James that she says will make it more difficult for owners to force tenants out of their rent-regulated homes. Previously, the law provided protections only to those tenants who could demonstrate physical injury and failed...

City Launches Lead Paint Ad Campaign to Educate Landlords

December 4, 2019    

HPD, in partnership with LeadFreeNYC, recently launched an outreach and education campaign to remind property owners of their responsibilities under the law when it comes to identifying lead-based paint hazards and remediating those hazards safely. LeadFreeNYC is an interagency comprehensive...

Report Finds Decline in NYC Residential Eviction Filings

December 4, 2019    

The NYU Furman Center recently released a brief showing an overall decline in residential evictions filed in New York City Housing Court between 2010 and 2017. The analysis draws on records from New York State’s Office of Court Administration and provides new insight on landlord-initiated...

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...