What's happening
This bill requires utility companies to provide past gas and electric billing information for residential rentals to landlords and prospective tenants upon request, free of charge.
Why it matters
Empowers renters to make informed decisions. By providing access to past utility costs, prospective tenants can better estimate the true monthly cost of living in a particular rental, reducing the risk of being surprised by unexpectedly high bills.
Promotes transparency and trust. Requiring utility companies to share this information with both landlords and tenants helps ensure landlords cannot withhold or misrepresent utility costs, potentially reducing landlord-tenant disputes.
Protects tenant privacy. The bill stipulates that only address-based billing data will be disclosed, with no personal information about current or past occupants, minimizing privacy concerns.
Standardizes process and access. The law creates a uniform, no-cost process for obtaining utility billing data statewide, which can particularly benefit renters with limited resources or in competitive rental markets.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Disclose Utility Costs to Landlords
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Signed chap.705
- Delivered to governor
- Returned to senate
- Passed assembly
- Ordered to third reading cal.105
- Substituted for A2122
- Referred to energy
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 44–17
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.265
Show 1 earlier action
- Referred to energy and telecommunications
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.
Share Utility Costs with Landlords
Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor Victor M. Pichardo
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3585
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 11, 2019
Introduced by Sens. PARKER, SEPULVEDA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy and Telecommunications
AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to making gas and electric billing information for residential rental premises available upon request
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 66-p to read as follows:
§ 66-p. Gas and electric billing information for residential rental premises. Every gas corporation, electric corporation and municipality shall make available to any landlord or lessor of residential rental premises, within ten days of receipt of a written request therefor from any prospective tenant or lessee thereof, prior to the commencement of tenancy or execution of a lease, information consisting of the charges incurred at such premises for gas or electric service or both for the life of the dwelling unit or the preceding two year period, whichever is shorter. Such information shall be identified solely by the address of the dwelling unit, and no other information identifying the owner, lessee, or other occupant of the dwelling unit shall be utilized for, or made available in connection with, the furnishing of billing information pursuant to this section. Such information shall be furnished to both the landlord or lessor and to the prospective tenant or lessee without the imposition of any charge or fee therefor by any party to any party.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after it shall have become a law. The public service commission is authorized to promulgate any and all rules and regulations and take any other measures necessary to implement this act on its effective date on or before such date.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06376-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the public service law, in relation to making gas and electric billing information for residential rental prem- ises available upon request
Purpose or general idea of bill
Requires gas and electric utility companies to make available to any landlord and lessor of residential rental premises, upon the request of a prospective tenant or lessor of a residential unit, information concerning gas and electric charges incurred from prior occupants of the dwelling.
Summary of specific provisions
The public service law is amended by adding a new section 66-o to require gas and electric utilities to make available to persons upon request information concerning gas and electric charges incurred for residential premises.
Justification
People should have the right to inquire from a gas and electric company the amount of the bills being paid for heat and electric service by the prior customer before they move into a residence. They should not have to rely on a landlord or homeowner's word about how much it costs to heat a residence.
Prior legislative history
2018: S7220 REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS S131 (2017): REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS S1780(2015-2016):REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS S1736(2013-2014):REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS S1878(2011-2012):REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS S8087(2010): THIRD READING S8087(2009) ORDERED TO RULES A.5049(2007-08):Referred to Energy and Telecommunications A.9711(2005-06):Referred to Rules A.4794(2003-04):Referred to Corps A.1967(2001-02):Passed Assembly
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after it shall have become a law: provided that the public service commission is authorized to promulgate any and all rules and regulations and take any other measures necessary to implement this act on its effective date on or before such date.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.