Senator Perkins Fights For Our Tenants, Neighbors And Communities

Senator Perkins and other lawmakers remained in Albany all week long in a bare-knuckled fight for the future of Rent Stabilization and affordable rent regulations.

Last week, Senator Perkins and other housing advocates were arrested during a civil disobedience action at the Governor’s Office prior to the Rent Regulations expiration date. 

As of Thursday night, the legislators have yet to reach an agreement and we will return to Albany again next Tuesday to continue our fight. 

Senator Perkins and many Democrats are pushing to strengthen rent laws and forever eliminate vacancy decontrol and other predatory practices that allow landlords to take advantage of tenants.  The Senate Republicans have forwarded a proposal that contains amendments which are hurtful and may drive many from the City.

Our current system protects landlords and empowers real estate barons, encouraging them to evict and chase out rent regulated and controlled tenants from their homes—at all costs.  Our current 421-A program lines the pockets of developers who construct monolithic market rate towers and set-aside a pittance of affordable housing (20%) that only gets us further and further away from affordability for all. 

We can do so much better.  It is time for Albany to stand with the people. 

We must: 

Repeal vacancy decontrol once and for all and re-regulate the hundreds of thousands of apartments lost over the past decade to deregulation. 

Protect tenants with preferential rents; and freeze rents across the board for the foreseeable future. 

Restrict and eliminate fraudulent fees, vacancy bonuses, Major Capital Improvement (MCI) surcharges and other tools that landlords and developers exploit.