WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES MARCH 26, 2020 3
Queens senator calls for
90-day rent suspension
Photo via Getty Images
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
AACEVEDO@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Senate Deputy Leader Michael
Gianaris is calling for a 90-day
suspension of residential and
commercial rent for tenants as well
as small businesses that have been impacted
by the coronavirus pandemic.
After Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced
a 90-day moratorium on
evictions on Friday, March 20, Gianaris
took to Twitter to address the
issue of rent payments.
“Eviction moratorium is good but
tenants without income won’t be able
to pay accumulating rent in 90 days
and will then face eviction,” he wrote.
“We need to #CancelRent for 90 days.”
Gianaris, who represents Senate
District 12 — which includes Astoria,
Long Island City, Sunnyside and
Ridgewood — is drafting legislation
to enact a proposal to provide
residential and commercial tenants
with 90 days of rent forgiveness if
they lost their work or had to close
their business due to COVID-19.
As a result of the outbreak and the
state’s precautionary stay-at-home
order, thousands of New Yorkers
and people in the tri-state area have
already lost their jobs.
Many other Queens lawmakers
have joined Gianaris’ call for a rent
freeze, including Assemblywoman
Aravella Simotas, Senator Jessica
Ramos and Congresswoman Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez.
“Two-thirds of New York City
residents are renters. Now that New
York State has issued a mortgage
moratorium, we must also enact a
rent moratorium to prevent mass
displacement,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote
on Twitter. “Relief and protecting
from displacement shouldn’t just be
for homeowners and the wealthy. It
should be for everyone.”
Last week, Queens Congresswoman
Carolyn Maloney led a request for
a moratorium on all foreclosures and
evictions with a letter signed by 106
Congress members.
The letter called for the immediate,
nationwide moratorium on all
foreclosures and evictions from
properties owned, insured or overseen
by the Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD), the
Federal Housing Administration
(FHA), the Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) and the Department of
Agriculture (USDA) and federally
backed agencies including Fannie
Mae and Freddie Mac.
Shortly after that letter was sent,
the White House’s administration
announced HUD would suspend
foreclosures and evictions insured
by FHA for at least 60 days.
Cuomo’s moratorium announcement
came afterward and provided
more guidelines, such as waiving
mortgage payments based on
financial hardship, no negative
reporting to credit bureaus, grace
period for loan modification, no
late payment fees or online payment
fees, and postponing or suspending
foreclosures.
While Gianaris praised Cuomo’s
leadership and said New York is
doing an “excellent job of managing
this crisis,” he believes more needs
to be done.
“The devastation caused by coronavirus
will be far-reaching and
long-lasting,” he stated. “We must
stay on top of the fast-changing consequences
of our efforts to contain
the virus, and the millions of tenants
in our state cannot be left behind.
Suspending rents is a critically
important step to help New Yorkers
survive this unprecedentedly difficult
time.”
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