8
QUEENS WEEKLY, JUNE 2, 2019
Ridgewood Tenants
press Sen. Addabbo
State Senator Joseph Addabbo at a February 2018 press conference.
BY MARK HALLUM
The Ridgewood Tenants
Union (RTU) is putting
pressure on lawmakers in
Albany to sign onto nine
bills that will protect renters
through reforms that will
close loopholes that lead
to deregulated units and
other ways neighborhoods
become gentrified.
But what are the
nine bills on rent reform
currently in the state?
For starters, S.4169
would eliminate a statute
of limitations for tenants
to file rent overcharge
complaints in regulated
apartments. S.299A would
put a cap on the amount
a landlord can increase a
rent-controlled apartment
in relation to a prior lease.
The package of bills
would also repeal vacancy
decontrol, vacancy bonuses,
major capital improvements
and individual apartment
increases. The bills would
also prohibit preferential
rent and eviction
without “good cause,”
while establishing the
statewide tenant protection
act of 2019.
RTU took aim at state
Senator Joseph Addabbo,
who has only signed onto
three of the nine bills,
many of which are still
in committee and even
provoked a response
from Assembly Speaker
Carl Heastie.
“We know you support
homeowners in your
district, but tenants also
need your support and in
fact, the small homeowners
you support are also being
impacted by the housing
crisis that is hitting tenants
hard,” RTU tweeted at
Addabbo on May 28. “Do
the right thing and stand
with us.”
Addabbo did not
immediately respond to
a request for comment,
but he is already
sponsoring three rent
reform bills, including the
prohibition of preferential
rent and eliminating
vacancy bonuses and
vacancy decontrol.
Heastie responded to
a campaign by Housing
Justice For All to pass the
bills they believe could halt
the march of gentrification
by saying that their message
regarding Assembly’s effort
to update rent laws was an
attack without grounds.
“Despite the
coordinated campaign
of misinformation being
waged about our position
on strengthening rent laws,
Photo: Mark Hallum/QNS
the Assembly Majority has
been and always will be
the strongest supporter
of tenant protections and
we will lead the way once
again this year,” Heastie
said in a tweet.
The good cause eviction
bill will bar landlords from
ousting residents if a tenant
fails to pay rent because of
a rent increase, does not
clear a violation within
10 days of a notice, creates
a nuisance or damages
the property.
Other provisions of the
bill state that evictions
cannot be authorized unless
a tenant is committing a
crime for which the landlord
can be held accountable, or
if a resident is preventing
the landlord from entering
the unit to make repairs.
The bill would also
prevent the landlords
from removing more than
one tenant in order to
accommodate themselves
or a relative. This one
removal would only be
allowed if the tenant is
younger than 62 and not
disabled.
Reach reporter Mark
Hallum by email at
mhallum@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718)
260–4564.
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