Statement From Senator Liz Krueger Addressing Temporary Lapse of Rent Regulation Laws

For Immediate Release | June 16, 2011

Katie Kincaid | kincaid.nysenate@gmail.com | 646-784-0485

“To every tenant in a rent regulated apartment and to every New Yorker concerned about the protection of affordable housing in our State, I say this: do not panic. While the rent regulations laws have technically expired, this lapse will surely be short-lived and will likely have no real effect on tenants. In fact, the Commissioner of the HCRC has pointed out that tenants will remain protected until the expiration of their leases.

“I am confident that this will all be settled soon, as Governor Cuomo has once again stated he will ‘not allow the legislature to go out of session and go home until tenants are protected.’ And I do believe that our strong Democratic Governor will follow through on this commitment, which he has expressed both publicly and personally, and will ensure New York’s rent laws are renewed and strengthened.

“My Democratic colleagues and I agree that we must protect tenants, but a straight extension of the current laws is not acceptable. These laws simply do not provide adequate protection for tenants. Over the past 17 years we have lost 300,000 units of affordable housing because of loopholes in the current system, and by Governor Cuomo’s own estimation we are poised to lose another 130,000 units in the near future if these laws continue.

“Therefore, our fight is not simply to extend these laws, but rather to expand and strengthen them. Republicans would love for rent regulation laws to simply go away, but the reality is that they’d be content with them remaining just as they are now, because they know the laws are easy to circumvent.

“So, to tenants, I say again: do not panic. We will not turn our backs on the 2.5 million residents who rely on rent stabilization laws to keep their homes affordable. And we will not leave Albany until we’ve passed stronger rent regulation laws.”