Community Updates
Call to Action: Oppose Good Cause Eviction before the January 7th Senate Hearing!
The NYS Senate Judiciary Committee and NYS Senate Housing Committee have scheduled a joint hearing to discuss the "Good Cause Eviction" (GCE) bill (Senate Bill S3082/ Sponsored by Senator Julia Salazar), which is really statewide universal rent control, on Friday, January 7th. The progressive legislators are trying to drum up momentum to try to get bill passed by January 15th 2021, which is when the NYS eviction moratorium is set to expire.
What Can You Do?
All the current state senators & assembly persons will be up for re-election this upcoming 2022 election cycle. As their constituent, they need to know that your support for their re-election will hinge on their position on GCE.
Contact Your NYS legislators in the Senate & Assembly & share this information with family and fellow property owners!
Phone Call:
Senate: Find Contact
Assembly: Find Contact
Email:
Use the automated link below that will identify & automatically email your district senator & assembly person.
Click Here to send automated email to NYS legislators
It is especially important for you to contact them if you reside or have rentals in:
- Long Island, Upstate, & the outer boroughs as these legislators tend to be more moderate and may be on the fence
- districts of Long Island Senators Anna Kaplan (D), Kevin Thomas (D), and Phil Boyle (R). Each of them is on the Judiciary Committee, which is hosting the hearing, and they will be able to ask questions of panelists during the hearing.
Talking Points
- GCE does not address the housing shortage. As adult population & job growth continues to outpace housing creation, GCE will not alleviate the need for more housing and a subset of renters will still be left with little housing choices.
- GCE would not cap expense increases but it caps rent increases, compromising ability to keep up with needed maintenance & improvements.
- GCE would hinder tenant mobility. Tenants will be effectively "locked" into their units leaving households in much larger, smaller, or farther units than they prefer (e.g. Empty nesters in a four-bedroom, growing families in a one-bedroom, households being far from new job/school). With less natural turnover, rents for new apartments will disproportionately spike and the only ones who will be able to ever move will be those with the most resources, leaving those with less resources stuck with less choices.
- GCE would deter creation of new housing supply
- GCE would compromise the ability to make needed maintenance & improvements of the existing aging housing market.
- GCE would lower tax revenue in local municipalities.
Articles
Issues 2020: Rent Control Does Not Make Housing More Affordable Developers Pause, Pull Out After St. Paul Passes Rent Control Why rent control isn’t working in Sweden Thank you and stay safe and well.
New Program: Landlord Ambassador Grant Program, Housing Council
The Housing Council at PathStone recently opened a new technical assistance and grant program for small landlords who own 9 or fewer units. The program is funded by Enterprise Community Partners.
Financial assistance is limited to support properties in the city of Rochester, and for any or all of the following uses:
- Vacant Property Reimbursement Repair - grant up to $5,000 per unit
- Code Violation Program - grants to fix any necessary violations.
- Eviction Prevention Program - financial resources to mitigate rent arrears.
Funding is limited, and the program will close on or before April 30th, 2022, so landlords are encouraged to apply soon.
Now Mostly Closed: NYS Emergency Rent Arrears Program (ERAP) and Landlord Rental Assistance Program (LRAP)
NYS is still accepting applications from landlords or tenants from all areas of the state on behalf of tenants with household incomes 80% to 120% of Area Median Income (e.g. $64,150 to $96,240 annually for a family of four). They have stopped taking applications for tenants under 80%.
The Landlord Rental Assistance Program (LRAP) is now closed and out of funding.
There is a chance the programs will be reallocated additional funding and any updates and additional info can be found here:
https://otda.ny.gov/programs/emergency-rental-assistance/
Now Closed: Monroe County Emergency Rent Arrears Program, EPPI 2.0
Monroe County announced that the locally administered emergency rent assistance program EPPI 2.0 has stopped taking new applications as of 11/12 and is expected to be out of funding. Any applications that were already received will be processed and paid if found to be eligible and meeting all program requirements. Read the full press release here.
As of 12/1 the program has assisted over 6,000 tenant households and approved rent payments totaling over $30 million.
There is a chance the program is allocated additional funding and any updates will be provided to the community via these emails and through additional press releases from Monroe County.
Reminder: Eviction Moratorium Still In Effect
The NYS Eviction Moratorium was recently extended through January 15th, 2022. Currently, non-payment cases are paused for all tenants that have submitted a Hardship Declaration Form to their landlord and/or the court. Landlords are also required to provide this form to tenants when serving them with any demand for rent or official notice. However, a recent change in the law now allows Landlords file a challenge to the tenant's Hardship Declaration Form and schedule a hearing before a judge to review it with the tenant.
It is also important to note the moratorium only protects tenants in non-payment or expired lease eviction cases. All other eviction cases have resumed, including those regarding destruction to the unit, criminal activity, etc.
This information should not substitute professional legal advice, and it is advised that you consult an attorney on eviction matters. Please be advised, it is a misdemeanor to illegally evict or lock out a tenant. To learn more and download the Hardship Declaration Form in several languages, please visit: http://www.nycourts.gov/eefpa/
Key Housing Resources
- For general questions and advice on tenant and landlord issues, please call the Housing Council at PathStone. Hotline open Monday-Friday, 9am-1pm. (585) 546-3700
- For tenants that are behind on rent and in need of other support, please continue to direct them to call 211. Tenants will be screened for all of their needs and referred to any open programs. The 211 system now includes an option to receive a callback, so callers don't need to wait on hold. The 211 hotline is also open 24 hours, and the phone lines may be less busy late in the evening or early in the morning.
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