Senator Serrano Urges State Legislature to Pass Pro-Tenant Legislation

(Albany, NY) - Senator Serrano joined colleagues from the New York State Senate Democratic Conference for a press conference to highlight the urgency of passing much-needed legislation before the current rent regulations laws expire in June. Senator Serrano's bill (S951) is one of the bills included in the groundbreaking pro-tenant legislative package. 

"I am proud to stand with my colleagues in the Democratic Conference and announce a package of bills aimed at protecting tenants in New York," said Senator Serrano. "The package includes my bill, S951, which would finally repeal the often-exploited 'statutory vacancy bonus' and stop landlords from increasing the rental cost of a vacant affordable unit and potentially phasing that unit out of rent regulation entirely. I would like to thank my colleagues in the Democratic Conference for standing up for hardworking New Yorkers and as we fight to ensure that affordable housing remains affordable." 

Serrano's bill (S951) would prohibit a landlord from increasing the rent on a vacant affordable unit by 20% and stop the landlord from pushing the unit closer to the decontrol threshold. When a rent exceeds the $2,500 a month threshold it is no longer rent regulated. Each year, thousands of units of affordable housing are lost to vacancy decontrol.