Tenant-law scramble
Scott’s ‘new’ plan needs lots of help
City Comptroller Scott Stringer wants landlords to provide renters with a Tenant Bill of Rights at every lease signing — and he appears to be betting on help from a key rival.
To make his plan happen, Stringer would need at least one City Council member — and Council Speaker Corey Johnson — to get the ball rolling. His proposal would have to be advanced through, and approved by, the Council to become law.
Stringer and Johnson are both running for mayor, and both boast political bases on Manhattan’s West Side.
“As rents skyrocket and tenants fight back against displacement, the city must empower renters with tools and resources to protect against unscrupulous landlords who may shirk their responsibilities to tenants,” Stringer said. “A Tenant Bill of Rights would enshrine key principles and protect tenants from abuse and neglect.”
Further complicating matters for Stringer is the fact that a similar proposal was approved in the City Council in 2014. That law requires the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development to post a housing information guide for tenants and owners on its website — a fact Johnson’s reps pointed to when asked about Stringer’s plan.
Stringer’s proposal would mandate landlords inform tenants about 17 legal provisions that are already in place to protect them.
Those include prohibitions on discriminating against tenants based on race, religion or how they intend to pay rent — whether it’s through Section 8 or other subsidies — as well as the requirement that apartments have heat and hot water and be kept in good repair.
Supporters of Stringer’s plan said it would also help clarify to average New Yorkers new state rent regulations adopted last summer.
“It’s going to bring more transparency to tenants,” said Ana Nunez, services coordinator for Churches United for Fair Housing.
Asked about whether the dynamic between Stringer and Johnson might impede the proposal’s progress, Nunez said it will be up to Stringer and groups like hers to convince the public.
“It’s up to us as community organizations to let people know,” she said. “If people are aware of it and in favor of it, they’ll let their Council members know.”
The Council would review the bill if introduced, a spokesman said. A de Blasio spokeswoman would not indicate whether or not the administration supports Stringer’s proposal.