What's happening
This bill prohibits landlords from charging tenants extra fees for tenant-installed air conditioners if tenants pay their own electric bills.
Why it matters
Reduces financial burden for tenants in rent-regulated apartments who already pay for their own electricity, ensuring they aren’t double-charged for using air conditioners they install themselves.
Limits landlords’ ability to impose extra fees, promoting fairer housing costs and potentially making it easier for tenants to access air conditioning—important for health and comfort, especially during heat waves.
Could improve tenant-landlord relations by clarifying that tenants who cover their own utility costs should not be subject to additional surcharges for electrical appliances like air conditioners.
Helps standardize tenant rights across different rent regulation laws in New York, providing clearer and more consistent protections regardless of the specific rent regulation program.
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Who cares
Rent-regulated tenants who pay their own electric bills
The bill would prohibit surcharges for installing and using tenant-installed air conditioners in covered apartments.
Owners of rent-regulated housing
The bill would bar them from imposing these air-conditioner surcharges where tenants pay for electric utility service.
Tenant advocates and housing attorneys
The bill would establish an express surcharge prohibition under New York City rent-control and rent-stabilization laws and the state emergency tenant protection and rent-control laws.
Headline styles
Ban AC Surcharges in Rentals
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
6 Co-sponsors
2 Multi-sponsors
History
- Print number 2675a
- Amend and recommit to housing
- 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.
Ban AC Surcharges for Renters
In Assembly Committee · Housing · Sponsor Robert Jackson
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2675--A
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 24, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. DINOWITZ, GOTTFRIED, L. ROSENTHAL, PICHARDO, CRESPO, COOK, BENEDETTO -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. ARROYO, DenDEKKER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Housing -recommitted to the Committee on Housing in accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
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 g to read as follows:
g. 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 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
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00714-03-0
A. 2675--A 2
tenant-installed air conditioner unit where the tenant pays for electric utility service.
§ 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 requires 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; and
(b) 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.
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.