What's happening
This bill allows tenants to choose one, two, three, or four-year renewal leases and repeals certain rent increase provisions.
Why it matters
Expanding tenants’ renewal options to up to four years could provide greater housing stability and predictability for renters, making it harder for landlords to use short-term renewals to pressure tenants or destabilize communities.
By repealing certain rent increase provisions, the bill may limit landlords’ ability to impose large rent hikes during renewal periods, addressing concerns about sudden or excessive rent increases that can lead to displacement.
The bill standardizes renewal lease terms across both New York City and other municipalities covered by the Emergency Tenant Protection Act, potentially making tenant protections more uniform and reducing confusion or loopholes that might otherwise exist between jurisdictions.
Removing language tied to certain mortgage exceptions and repealing related sections could close loopholes landlords have used to deny longer-term leases, shifting more negotiating power to tenants and potentially curbing exploitative rental practices.
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Headline styles
Let Tenants Choose Lease Length
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Referred to housing, construction and community development
- Referred to housing, construction and community development
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.
Let Tenants Choose Lease Term
In Assembly Committee · Housing · Sponsor Yuh-Line Niou
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2891
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 30, 2019
Introduced by Sen. SALAZAR -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Housing, Construction and Community Development
AN ACT to amend the administrative code of the city of New York and the emergency tenant protection act of nineteen seventy-four, in relation to the duration of renewal leases; and to repeal certain provisions of such laws relating to the increase in rent for such renewal leases
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph 4 of subdivision c of section 26-511 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended to read as follows:
(4) includes provisions requiring owners to grant a [one or two] one, two, three or four year vacancy or renewal lease at the option of the tenant except where a mortgage or mortgage commitment existing as of April first, nineteen hundred sixty-nine, provides that the mortgagor shall not grant a one year lease;
§ 2. Paragraph 5-a of subdivision c of section 26-511 of the administrative code of the city of New York is REPEALED.
§ 3. Subdivision a of section 10 of section 4 of chapter 576 of the laws of 1974, constituting the emergency tenant protection act of nineteen seventy-four, as amended by chapter 234 of the laws of 1984, is amended to read as follows:
a. For cities having a population of less than one million and towns and villages, the state division of housing and community renewal shall be empowered to implement this act by appropriate regulations. Such regulations may encompass such speculative or manipulative practices or renting or leasing practices as the state division of housing and community renewal determines constitute or are likely to cause circumvention of this act. Such regulations shall prohibit practices which are likely to prevent any person from asserting any right or remedy granted by this
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08685-02-9
S. 2891 2
act, including but not limited to retaliatory termination of periodic tenancies and shall require owners to grant a new [one or two] one, two, three or four year vacancy or renewal lease at the option of the tenant, except where a mortgage or mortgage commitment existing as of the local effective date of this act provides that the owner shall not grant a one-year lease; and shall prescribe standards with respect to the terms and conditions of new and renewal leases, additional rent and such related matters as security deposits, advance rental payments, the use of escalator clauses in leases and provision for increase in rentals for garages and other ancillary facilities, so as to insure that the level of rent adjustments authorized under this law will not be subverted and made ineffective. Any provision of the regulations permitting an owner to refuse to renew a lease on grounds that the owner seeks to recover possession of the housing accommodation for his own use and occupancy or for the use and occupancy of his immediate family shall require that an owner demonstrate immediate and compelling need and shall not apply where a member of the housing accommodation is sixty-two years of age or older, has been a tenant in a housing accommodation in that building for twenty years or more, or has an impairment which results from anatomical, physiological or psychological conditions, other than addiction to alcohol, gambling, or any controlled substance, which are demonstrable by medically acceptable clinical and laboratory diagnostic techniques, and which are expected to be permanent and which prevent the tenant from engaging in any substantial gainful employment.
§ 4. Subdivision (a-1) of section 10 of section 4 of chapter 576 of the laws of 1974, constituting the emergency tenant protection act of nineteen seventy-four, is REPEALED.
§ 5. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that the amendments to section 26-511 of chapter 4 of title 26 of the administrative code of the city of New York made by section one 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 provided, further, that the amendments to section 10 of the emergency tenant protection act of nineteen seventy-four made by section three 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, as amended.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the administrative code of the city of New York and the emergency tenant protection act of nineteen seventy-four, in relation to the duration of renewal leases; and to repeal certain provisions of such laws relating to the increase in rent for such renewal leases
Purpose
The purpose of this legislation is to provide residential tenants already protected by the stabilization provisions of the New York City Administrative Code or the emergency tenant protection act of 1974, as amended, with the option of one, two, three or four year leases. Current law only provides the option of one or two year leases.
Summary of provisions
Section one amends Section 26-511 (4) (c) of the administrative code of the City of New York by requiring owners covered by the stabilization provisions to grant three or four lease options to tenants in addition to the already existing requirement of one or two year lease options.
Section 2 amends subdivision a of section 10 of section 4 of chapter 576 of the laws of 1974, constituting the emergency tenant protection act of 1974, as amended by chapter 234 of the laws of 1984, applicable to cities having a population of less than one million and to towns and villages, by requiring owners to grant three or four lease options to tenants in addition to the already existing requirement of one or two year lease options.
Section 3 provides that this Act will be effective immediately and further provides that the amendments implemented in this Act shall expire on the same dates that the underlying laws expire.
Existing law
Existing law requires owners covered by the NYC Administrative Code stabilization provisions and those covered by the emergency tenant protection act of 1974 to grant tenants one or two year lease options.
Justification
By requiring owners of to grant tenants three or four year lease options in addition to the existing one- or two-year lease options this measure provides protections to tenants to enhance the stability of housing accommodations for themselves and their families. Current pricing of rental housing and supply and demand variables have increased displace- ment of individuals and families holding one or two year leases and subjects them to possible homelessness and forces them to increasingly unaffordable rents being charged for limited safe and adequate housing stock.
Legislative history
None.
Fiscal implications
None.
Local fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This Act shall take effect immediately and further provides that the amendments implemented in this Act shall expire on the same dates that the underlying laws expire.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.