Rent-regulated tenants in NYC's rezoned neighborhoods to get new protections

Earlier this year, the city created an Office of the Tenant Advocate, within the city’s Department of Buildings to safeguard NYC tenants from landlord harassment. Now the city is set to offer up even more protections for rent-regulated tenants.

The New York City Council and Mayor Bill de Blasio have reached an agreement over a new bill that will protect rent-regulated tenants from shady landlords who seek to boot them out for higher rents, Politico reports.

The bill will come up before the City Council on November 30 for a final vote, but with this agreement, the Mayor will swiftly sign it into law thereafter. The bill creates a pilot program where landlords who acquire a new property or have racked up a bunch of building violations in a neighborhood slated for rezoning, or a low-income neighborhood will have to get a “certificate of no harassment,” from the city.

This pilot program will apply to recently rezoned areas like East New York, and Far Rockaway, and would also apply to East Harlem, where a massive rezoning is set to be voted on later this month. Other neighborhoods in New York City where this pilot will come into effect include Washington Heights, Highbridge/Grand Concourse, Bushwick, Bed-Stuy, and Morningside Heights, among others.

The bill was pushed forward by City Council member Brad Lander, who worked in affordable housing for several years before being elected into office.

“When a speculator's plan is to harass the tenants out, demolish [or] gut renovate and bring in tenants who can pay triple the rents, we need a law that prevents their ability to do it,” Lander told Politico.

• Mayor, Council reach deal to expand protections for rent-regulated tenants [Politico]
• De Blasio signs into law sweeping protections against tenant harassment [Curbed]