What's happening
This bill prohibits landlords from charging rent-regulated tenants extra fees for installing or using air conditioners if tenants pay for electricity.
Why it matters
Reduces financial burdens for rent-regulated tenants. by ensuring they won't face extra charges simply for installing or using air conditioners if they already pay for their own electricity, making it easier to maintain comfort during hot weather.
Closes a loophole for landlord-imposed surcharges. , preventing landlords from using supplemental fees (often justified by “wear and tear” or “increased utility use”) to circumvent rent regulation protections.
Applies to multiple rent regulation laws. including both rent stabilization and rent control—so a wide range of tenants in New York City and elsewhere in the state are protected.
Maintains tenant protections only as long as rent regulation laws remain in effect. , meaning these protections are tied to the broader framework of emergency rent control and could expire if those laws sunset.
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Who cares
Rent-controlled tenants who pay for electricity
The bill would prohibit surcharges for installing and using their own air conditioners in covered housing.
Rent-stabilized tenants who pay for electricity
The bill would extend the same surcharge prohibition to housing covered by New York City’s rent stabilization law and the Emergency Tenant Protection Act.
Owners of covered rent-regulated housing
The bill would bar them from imposing air-conditioner installation and use surcharges when tenants install the units and pay for electric utility service.
Headline styles
Ban AC Surcharges for Tenants
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
7 Co-sponsors
3 Multi-sponsors
History
- Referred to housing
- Referred to housing
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
End AC Surcharges for Renters
In Senate Committee · Housing, Construction And Community Development · Sponsor Marisol Alcantara
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1368
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 11, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. DINOWITZ, GOTTFRIED, ROSENTHAL, PICHARDO, CRESPO, COOK, KAVANAGH, SEPULVEDA, BENEDETTO -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. ARROYO, DenDEKKER, MAYER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Housing
AN ACT to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, the emergency tenant protection act of nineteen seventy-four and the emergency housing rent control law, in relation to prohibiting surcharges for the installation or use of air conditioner units in housing accommodations subject to rent regulation
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 26-416 to read as follows:
§ 26-416 Surcharges for tenant-installed air conditioner units; prohibited. The imposition of any surcharge for the installation and use of a tenant-installed air conditioner unit is prohibited where the tenant pays for electric utility service.
§ 2. Section 6 of section 4 of chapter 576 of the laws of 1974, constituting the emergency tenant protection act of nineteen seventyfour, is amended by adding a new subdivision h to read as follows:
h. No owner of a housing accommodation subject to the provisions of this section shall impose any surcharge for the installation and use of a tenant-installed air conditioner unit where the tenant pays for electric utility service.
§ 3. Section 26-512 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new subdivision g to read as follows:
g. No owner of a housing accommodation subject to the provisions of this law shall impose any surcharge for the installation and use of a tenant-installed air conditioner unit where the tenant pays for electric utility service.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03494-01-7
A. 1368 2
§ 4. Subdivision 4 of section 4 of chapter 274 of the laws of 1946, constituting the emergency housing rent control law, is amended by adding a new paragraph (f) to read as follows:
(f) No owner of a housing accommodation subject to the provisions of this law shall impose any surcharge for the installation and use of a tenant-installed air conditioner unit where the tenant pays for electric utility service.
§ 5. This act shall take effect immediately; provided that: (a) section 26-416 of the city rent and rehabilitation law as added 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;
(b) the amendments to section 4 of chapter 576 of the laws of 1974 constituting the emergency tenant protection act of nineteen seventyfour made by section two of this act shall expire on the same date as such act expires and shall not affect the expiration of such act as provided in section 17 of chapter 576 of the laws of 1974; and
(c) the amendments to section 26-512 of chapter 4 of title 26 of the administrative code of the city of New York, made by section three of this act shall expire on the same date as such law expires and shall not affect the expiration of such law as provided under section 26-520 of such law; and
(d) the amendments to section 4 of the emergency housing rent control law made by section four of this act shall expire on the same date as such law expires and shall not affect the expiration of such law as provided in subdivision 2 of section 1 of chapter 274 of the laws of 1946.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.