Landlords eye eviction suit

New York’s largest landlord group is threatening to sue the state Legislature if it extends the pandemic-era eviction moratorium slated to expire on Tuesday, arguing that the law negatively impacts property owners.

“If New York state lawmakers enact legislation that disregards and attempts to circumvent the decision by SCOTUS, we will immediately take legal action, this time asking for damages,” said Joe Strasburg, president of the Rent Stabilization Association, which represents 25,000 building owners and managers in more than 1 million apartments throughout the five boroughs.

The Aug. 12 US Supreme Court decision struck down a portion of the state’s law permitting tenants to self-attest to COVID-19-related income loss in a hardship declaration form.

The ruling came after the RSA and a group of small landlords filed an emergency injunction against the measure. Landlords argue the program made it challenging to counter tenant claims, unfairly hampering their ability to collect revenue and maintain buildings as well as pay property taxes.

Struggling tenants are still allowed to make their case in court, but the law is on track to expire on Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. unless lawmakers negotiate and pass a renewal to the law.

Democrats in the state Senate and Assembly discussed changes negotiated over the weekend in a closed-door conference on Monday.

Sources said a program extension through Jan. 15, 2022, was on the table.

Officials briefed on the matter told The Post that one key aspect of negotiations centers on providing better recourse for landlords to challenge tenants’ hardship claims — addressing the portion of the law disputed by landlords and struck down.