What's happening
This bill requires landlords to provide tenants with up-to-date contact information at the start of tenancy and whenever it changes.
Why it matters
Improves tenant safety and communication. By requiring landlords to provide accurate contact information, tenants can more easily reach their landlord in emergencies, for urgent repairs, or to address disputes, reducing risks and delays.
Increases landlord accountability. Landlords (and property-owning LLCs) must keep their contact information current, making it harder for them to avoid responsibility for property maintenance or tenant concerns.
Empowers tenants with clear recourse. With written documentation of landlord information, tenants have a stronger position if they need to prove attempts to communicate or escalate issues to housing authorities or courts.
Covers properties owned by third parties. The bill closes a common loophole by requiring disclosure of actual ownership (such as LLCs), making it more transparent who is responsible for the property.
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Who cares
Tenants
They would receive written contact information at the start of tenancy to directly reach their landlord and any third-party titleholder, with updates when that information becomes inaccurate.
Landlords
The bill would require tenants to receive a current name, valid phone number and address, with written updates within three days of acquiring new contact information.
LLCs and other third-party property owners
Their contact information would also have to be furnished to tenants when they hold title to the leased property.
Headline styles
Landlord Contact Info Required
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
14 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.
Landlords Must Share Contact Info
In Senate Committee · Judiciary · Sponsor Rachel May
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1652
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 16, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. HUNTER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Housing
AN ACT to amend the real property law, in relation to requiring contact information of landlords to be furnished to 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. Contact information to be furnished to tenant. Every tenant shall receive at the start of the tenancy a written document containing the most current name, valid phone number, and address able to be used by the tenant to directly contact the landlord and, if the property is owned by a third party such as a limited liability company, the third party that holds the title to the property that is being leased. If any of the contact information furnished becomes inaccurate, a written document shall be provided to every tenant with the updated contact information within three days of the acquisition of the new contact information.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04830-01-9
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.