Prohibits fuel pass-along rental adjustment to tenant of New York city rent controlled housing accommodations

2 Co-sponsors

• Brad Hoylman-Sigal
• José M. Serrano

BILL NUMBER:S3151

Title of bill

An act to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to eliminating fuel pass-along charges for occu- pants of rent controlled housing accommodations

Purpose or general idea of bill

This bill prohibits fuel pass-along charges for occupants of rent controlled housing accommodations.

Summary of specific provisions

Section 1 amends the administrative code of the city of New York by adding a new section 26-407.1 to prohibit fuel pass-along increases in rent for any tenant of any unit which is subject to rent control.

Section 2 contains the effective date.

Justification

Many of the tenants who reside in units subject to rent control are senior citizens living on fixed incomes. Unlike residents in other forms of regulated housing, residents in rent controlled apart- ments face a yearly fuel cost adjustment, or pass-along, based on a percentage of the total amount of fuel delivered to a building, and divided by the number of rooms in that building. When fuel costs are as high as they have been throughout 2008, rent controlled tenants face excruciating rent hikes. Unlike both rent regulated tenants and market rate tenants, rent controlled tenants are in no way insulated from sudden and catastrophic rent increases based on higher fuel costs. This bill provides protection to the residents of units subject to rent control, who are likelier to be older, more vulnerable, and less finan- cially secure than tenants in other kinds of housing.

Fiscal implications

None.

Effective date

This act shall take effect on the first of September next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law; provided that the addition of section 26-407.1 to the city rent and stabilization law made by section one of this act shall remain in full force and effect only as long as the public emergency requiring the regulation and control of residential rents and evictions continues, as provided in subdivision 3 of section 1 of the local emergency housing rent control act.