NYC Council members propose new tenant protections
NEW YORK (PIX11) — Finding affordable apartments can be tough in New York City and getting landlords to do repairs can also be a struggle.
Some New York City Council members are proposing new tenant protections after neighbors raised some concerns.
Maribel Lopez lives and works in Brooklyn as a tenant protection advocate. She got involved because she needed services when she and her neighbors had to leave their homes.
“Mentally, it was stressful and it’s a burden on families. If we didn’t force them, the city would not have done anything,” Lopez said.
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Andrew Sokolof Diaz lives in the Jackson Heights apartment building that was ravaged by an eight-alarm fire in April 2021.
“We are talking about bringing dignity to tenants. There needs to be a more humane process to help,” he said.
Five hundred residents were displaced, and it took years to get back.
The proposed tenant protection legislation would require the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development to relocate tenants in the same or neighboring communities.
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It also creates a team of relocation specialists to assist tenants, facilitate access to their apartment and oversee landlord repairs.
The department would initiate legal action against landlords who do not conduct repairs and report on its use of the so-called “special repair fund” to rehabilitate buildings.
Shekar Krishnan is the sponsoring council member from Jackson Heights, Queens.
Krishnan rallied with tenants on the steps of City Hall and other council members, including Carlina Rivera, Lincoln Restler, Erik Bottcher, and Lynn Schulman.
“When landlords refuse to do the work necessary, our bills require legal action to bring tenants home quickly,” Krishnan said.
When a part of a building collapsed in the Bronx last year, Councilmember Pierina Sanchez worked to help her neighbors and connect them with services.
“How much worse is it when disaster comes and you don’t know what comes next?” Sanchez said.
The legislation will be introduced and discussed in committee.
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