BILL NUMBER: S801

SPONSOR: HOYLMAN
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the New York city charter, in relation to requiring the
New York city department of buildings to confirm that there are no
tenants living at certain properties prior to approving or issuing
permits for the demolition or the substantial alteration or renovation
of such properties

 
PURPOSE OF BILL:

For far too long, property owners have submitted falsified applications
for permits for construction that state there are no tenants living in
their building, when in fact there are, with lax oversight from the New
York Department of Buildings (DOB). This allows abusive and unethical
property owners to disrupt the affordable housing market and put tenants
safety and lives at risk, all for the sake of profit. This bill provides
that the NYC DOB must independently verify there are no tenants living
in a particular building upon receipt of an application for a permit for
demolition or substantial alteration that states as much.
              

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends the New York City charter by adding a new section 645-a
to provide the Department of Buildings with the power to independently
confirm there are no tenants living at property when a property owner
submits a permit for demolition or substantial alteration and makes a
statement to that effect.

Section 2 specifies when the act shall take place.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Abusive and unethical property owners frequently submit false applica-
tions for demolition or substantial operation to the NYC Department of
Buildings (DOB). These property owners indicate there are no tenants and
the DOB does not check. Subsequently there are a myriad of direct and
collateral consequences. The landlord does not have to institute a
Tenant Protection Plan and guarantee any safety or health requirements,
leading to unlivable and dangerous situations. Tenants often do not know
they have any recourse because there are no posted permits alerting them
to the right to tenant protection.

Earlier this year it was revealed that Jared Kushner's real estate
company filed more than 80 construction permit applications for 34
buildings across the city between 2013 and 2016 stating that it had no
rent-regulated tenants, when in fact there were over 300 rent-regulated
units. He then used aggressive means of renovation to vacate the most
vulnerable rent-regulated tenants and return those apartments to market
value in order to turn a profit.

Unfortunately this is actually a widespread practice. Landlords regular-
ly engage in this behavior, systematically reducing the availability of
affordable housing. This bill aims to put a stop to this by providing
that DOB must independently verify there are no tenants in the building,
thus protecting tenants and protecting affordable housing.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

S.1479 of 2019-2020 (Hoylman): Died in Cities
A.7778 of 2019-2020 (O'Donnell): Died in Cities
S.8810 of 2017-2018 (Hoylman): Died in Cities

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the
date upon which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the
addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary
for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized
to be made on or before such date.