New COVID-19 Online Resource for Tenants and Attorneys in New York

TenantHelpNY.org is a new website with self-help resources on evictions and COVID-19 in New York State.

Tenants can access Know Your Rights content and information on available legal aid, including:

• Plain language guides for tenants and the general public, developed in collaboration with grantees under the OAG initiative;
• A legal help directory to assist tenants in connecting with volunteer attorney programs in their region, and
• A list of Frequently Asked Questions about available COVID-19 housing protections

The website also includes an Advocate Gateway with specialized resources for attorneys and other advocates assisting tenants during this time.

For a full announcement of the website launch, and other information, click here.

New law aims to protect rent-controlled tenants from landlord harassment

New York State enacted A.6188/S.2605 on Tuesday (December 3). According to supporters of the law, it will protect rent-regulated tenants from landlord harassment intended to force tenants out of their homes.

The new law increases penalties for when a landlord seeks to force out two or more rent-regulated tenants by creating unsafe, disruptive, or uninhabitable conditions. A landlord engaging in this conduct against one tenant may be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor for harassing a rent-regulated tenant. Where the conduct impacts two or more tenants, a landlord may be guilty of a Class E felony. A landlord guilty of multiple convictions for misdemeanor conduct under these new provisions within five years can be charged with a Class E felony.

Previously, supporters say, the law only provided protections to tenants who could demonstrate physical injury and failed to take into account the conditions caused by the landlord.

For more information on the new law, click here.

Changes to New York's landlord-tenant law

Some of the biggest changes are:

• If a tenant is ordered evicted, instead of 72 hours, the court order must give the tenant 14 days.
• If the tenant can pay up, in full, at any time during the eviction process, the landlord has to accept.
• Landlords who unlawfully evict tenants can now be fined and charged with a misdemeanor.
• Landlords cannot use a tenant’s history of evictions or judgments from landlords to refuse to rent to them.
• Landlords have to give written notice when they start eviction proceedings. They cannot start court proceedings for at least 10 days after the tenant is served.
• If the tenant shows up to court and asks for an adjournment, the judge has to grant it and the minimum is two weeks.

For more on the new laws, click here.