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A1539Assembly2025-2026 Session

Open Rent Histories to Officials

Official title

“Relates to information available pertaining to rental histories of rent-stabilized units through FOIL applications”

Sponsor Linda RosenthalAD-67+1 co-sponsorAffects Housing
Status
In Assembly Committee
Housing
Impact
7/10
Significant
Passage
17%

Bill progress

Step 2 of 7

In committee · Housing

What's happening

This bill requires the state to provide rental histories of rent-stabilized units to elected officials, maintain these records for at least ten years, and re-regulate units illegally removed from rent stabilization.

Why it matters

  1. Increased transparency for oversight. By requiring the state to provide rental histories of rent-stabilized units to elected officials upon request, the bill empowers policymakers to better identify patterns of tenant displacement, illegal deregulation, or abuse within the rental market.

  2. Longer-term recordkeeping. Mandating the preservation of rent histories for at least ten years ensures that both tenants and enforcement agencies have access to crucial documentation over time, which can be vital in uncovering long-term patterns of abuse or improper rent increases.

  3. Re-regulation of illegally removed units. The bill addresses the issue of units that have been unlawfully deregulated—through illegal construction, conversions, warehousing, or improper removal from rent rolls—by requiring their return to the rent stabilization system, directly protecting tenants and the city's affordable housing stock.

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Who cares

Headline styles

Open Rent Histories to Officials

Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.

Sponsors

Primary sponsor
Linda Rosenthal

Assembly Member · Assembly District 67

Chair, Housing

1 Co-sponsor

History

  1. Referred to housing
  2. Referred to housing

Full text

2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗

STATE OF NEW YORK

1539

2025-2026 Regular Sessions

IN ASSEMBLY

January 10, 2025

Introduced by M. of A. ROSENTHAL, SIMONE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Housing

AN ACT to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to available information pertaining to rental histories of rent-stabilized units

The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:

Section 1. Section 26-516 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new subdivision j to read as follows:

j. Complete rental histories for units regulated under this chapter shall be made available by the state division of housing and community renewal to local, county or state elected officials who submit an application for such information under the provisions of the state freedom of information law. Information shall be redacted as required under article six of the public officers law, entitled the state freedom of information law. Records obtained pursuant to this subdivision shall be used solely for the purposes stated in the application.

§ 2. Section 26-517 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new subdivision h to read as follows:

h. Notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary, the state division of housing and community renewal shall maintain rent histories of units regulated under this chapter for a minimum of ten years.

§ 3. Section 26-516 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new subdivision k to read as follows:

k. The state division of housing and community renewal shall regulate housing accommodations which, through a complaint, investigation, or violation process, have been established to be illegally de-regulated due to illegal use. For purposes of this section, illegal use shall consist of, but not be limited to notices of illegal construction, illegal conversion, illegal transient hotel, removal from rent rolls and

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD00616-01-5

warehousing, or other purposes other than those authorized pursuant to this chapter.

§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately; provided that the amendments to chapter 4 of title 26 of the administrative code of the city of New York made by sections one, two and 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.