The Tenants Bill of Rights is signed into law. (l to r) Council Member Margaret Chin, Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Council Member Jumaane D. Williams, and Council Member Fernando Cabrera. Image credit: Office of Council Member Fernando Cabrera
Laws require tenants to be informed of landlord responsibilities and increase penalties for tenant harassment. On September 30, 2014 Mayor Bill de Blasio signed Local Law 45 and Local Law 47 of 2014 into law. The bills, referred to as the Tenants’ Bill Of Rights, were sponsored by Council Member Fernando Cabrera and Council Member Margaret Chin respectively, and are directed to increase protection of New York City tenants.
(more…)
Image credit: New York City Council.
The bill amends the landlord’s duty to mitigate damages for an early vacancy of a leased residence. On November 23, 2021, the City Council passed Int. 2312-A, which limits the fees landlords can collect from tenants who vacate prior to the end of a lease to prepare the property for the next rental. The bill, sponsored by Council Member Kevin C. Riley, helps balance the needs of landlords to pay for the maintenance of units in preparation for re-rental and protects tenants from exorbitant fees. (more…)
Heat Seek, winner of the NYC[x] Co-Labs Housing Rights Challenge, operates by using sensors around the apartment or home to detect the temperature. The sensors and temperature logs help provide proof that a landlord or property owner is not providing legally required heating to tenants. Image Credit: Heat Seek, www.heatseek.org/explore-the-tech
On November 12, 2020, the New York Mayor’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer, the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the NYC Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, and the communities of Inwood and Washington Heights announced the winners and the honorable mentions for the NYC[x] Co-Labs Housing Rights Challenge. This challenge invited innovative and tech-enabled solutions to address the housing rights of New York City’s most vulnerable communities. Submissions were solicited from startups, technologists, and innovators from across the globe. To read more about the competition, click
here. The winners of the Housing Rights Challenge are
Heat Seek and
Justfix.nyc with an honorable mention going to
3×3. (more…)
Rendering of proposed Development at 3 St. Marks Place Image Credit: City Planning
Community questions benefits received and context of development. On March 4, 2020, the City Planning Commission heard an application by Real Estate Equities Corporation for a special permit to transfer development rights from a landmarked site and construct a ten-story commercial building in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan. The development site is located at 3 St. Marks Place, on the northeast corner of Third Avenue and St. Marks Place and is currently vacant. The special permit would transfer approximately 8,336 gross feet of floor area from the landmarked “Hamilton-Holly House,” across the street at 4 St. Marks Place.
(more…)
Jackie Bray is the new Director of the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants. Image Credit: NYC Mayor’s Office
The Office develops policy to strengthen tenant protections. On April 15, 2019, the Mayor’s Office announced First Deputy Commissioner at the New York City Department of Homeless Services Jackie Bray will serve as Director of the Office to Protect Tenants to address the City’s “anti-harassment initiatives, enhance interagency enforcement and closely engage with tenants and advocates.” (more…)
