What's happening
This bill requires landlords to ensure rental properties have utility services before renting and to keep utilities connected between tenants.
Why it matters
Improves tenant safety and habitability. by requiring landlords to ensure rental properties meet fire prevention and building codes—including having functioning utilities—before leasing, thereby reducing risks from unsafe or uninhabitable conditions.
Creates direct legal and financial consequences for non-compliance. , making landlords subject to criminal penalties if they rent properties without necessary utilities, which could motivate better maintenance and management practices.
Reduces gaps in utility service between tenants. by obligating landlords to join utility company “reversion” programs (where available), ensuring utilities remain on during tenant transitions and preventing issues like frozen pipes, property damage, or delays for new tenants.
Clarifies landlord responsibilities statewide. , making it easier for tenants to know their rights and for local governments to enforce basic living standards, especially in settings with frequent tenant turnover or absentee landlords.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Require Utilities Before Renting
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
14 Co-sponsors
3 Multi-sponsors
History
- Referred to housing
- Referred to housing
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
4946
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 5, 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 landlords to ensure rental properties are equipped with utility services prior to renting such properties
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 235-b of the real property law is amended by adding a new subdivision 4 to read as follows:
4. The landlord shall not rent nor lease any property to a tenant or tenants unless such property is in compliance with the New York state uniform fire prevention and building code act described in article eighteen of the executive law, specifically that utility services are made available to such dwelling. A landlord's failure to be in compliance with such act prior to rental or lease of such property, shall result in penalties pursuant to sections 145.15 and 145.20 of the penal law.
§ 2. The real property law is amended by adding a new section 235-h to read as follows:
§ 235-h. Duty of landlord to keep utility services connected in between tenants. 1. A landlord shall participate in any voluntary program offered by the utility company that services their rented or leased property that would revert all utility accounts to the landlord's name and keep utility services connected in between tenants.
2. This section shall not apply if the utility company in the rented or leased property's area does not offer such a program.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04865-01-9
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.