Addabbo Applauds New State Law Providing Property Tax Relief to Constituents WITH Sandy-Devastated Homes

Queens, NY,  August 12, 2013 -- NYS Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. (D-Queens) is applauding the approval of a new state law (Chapter 250) he supported which will enable homeowners and tenant-stockholders whose homes were badly damaged or completely demolished during Hurricane Sandy to seek property tax relief from the City of New York.

Addabbo, a member of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force on Hurricane Sandy, said, “Under this new and necessary law, homeowners and co-op and condominium owners whose homes were devastated by last October’s devastating storm will be spared the expense and heartache of paying full property taxes on homes that are either now gone or will need a lot of work to become habitable again. Homeowners who experienced these losses will be able to seek a rebate on their property tax bills from the City.”

Addabbo noted that real property tax bills are based on the assessed value of homes and that assessments for the 2013 fiscal year were initially made in January of 2012 – almost a year before Hurricane Sandy damaged properties and significantly reduced their value if they were left standing at all.  “Clearly, being charged a full tax bill would just add insult to the terrible injury already inflicted on my constituents who saw their lives turned upside down during the storm,” he said.

Properties that will be eligible for the rebates are those that the New York City Department of Buildings inspected and identified as being seriously damaged, unsafe to enter or occupy, or completely demolished as a result of Hurricane Sandy.  The City of New York will enact a local law to implement the provisions of the new state law and begin the process of identifying eligible homeowners and providing tax rebate opportunities.    

Addabbo, who has sponsored or co-sponsored several pieces of legislation similar to the new law, said, “As the Senate representative of an area that was severely impacted by Hurricane Sandy, I am glad that we are making progress every day to recover and rebuild from the storm and to continue providing critical aid to people who lost homes, businesses and other precious items that, sadly, we will never be able to replace.  We have a long way to go, but every step forward is important to coming back from what we have experienced.”

Addabbo noted that his offices in Howard Beach, Middle Village and Rockaway are all available to help Hurricane Sandy survivors and other constituents with issues of concern to them.  “There are still many questions in the community regarding Sandy and my staff and I are ready to assist people find the answers.” he said.     

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