What's happening
This bill requires landlords to verify that massage therapist tenants are properly licensed, with penalties for noncompliance if violations occur.
Why it matters
Makes landlords partially responsible for preventing unlicensed or illegal massage therapy businesses. by requiring them to check for proper state licensure before renting space, potentially influencing who can operate in their buildings.
Introduces civil liability for landlords. if tenants are found guilty of certain crimes (prostitution-related offenses or practicing without a license) and the landlord did not verify the tenant’s credentials, incentivizing due diligence in tenant screening.
May reduce opportunities for illicit or unregulated massage therapy operations. by increasing oversight at the point of rental, possibly impacting the prevalence of human trafficking or unlicensed practice in commercial spaces.
Could add administrative burden for landlords. , especially those unfamiliar with professional licensing processes, and may affect how landlords assess risk or choose tenants in industries requiring state licensure.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Landlords Check Massage Licenses
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to judiciary
- Referred to judiciary
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
490
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 9, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. M. G. MILLER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Judiciary
AN ACT to amend the real property law, in relation to the duty of landlords to verify the licensure of massage therapist tenants
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The real property law is amended by adding a new section 235-h to read as follows:
§ 235-h. Duty of landlords to verify licensure of massage therapist tenants. 1. Prior to entering into a rental agreement with an individual who intends to engage in the practice of massage therapy, as defined by section seventy-eight hundred one of the education law, for hire in the space that is subject to such rental agreement, a landlord shall have the duty to verify that such individual is licensed to practice massage therapy pursuant to article one hundred fifty-five of the education law. A landlord shall be deemed to have satisfied the verification requirement of this subdivision if such landlord obtains and retains a copy of a valid license issued to such individual by the state board for massage therapy.
2. If a tenant who engages in the practice of massage therapy for hire in the space that is subject to a rental agreement is found guilty of violating section 230.20, 230.25, 230.30 or 230.32 of the penal law, or section six thousand five hundred twelve of the education law, the landlord of such tenant shall be subject to a civil penalty of one thousand dollars if it is shown by substantial evidence that such landlord failed to verify that such tenant is licensed to practice massage therapy pursuant to article one hundred fifty-five of the education law.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03112-01-7
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.