Bill > S04659

This bill aims to modify the Emergency Tenant Protection Act by establishing new guidelines for declaring housing emergencies across different municipalities in New York. The bill allows cities with one million or more residents to declare a housing emergency if the vacancy rate for housing accommodations is 5% or less, while providing a more detailed process for smaller cities, towns, and villages to make similar determinations. For smaller municipalities, local legislative bodies must conduct public hearings and consider various factors such as housing supply, vacancy rates, affordable housing availability, rent burdens, and homelessness rates when declaring an emergency. The bill introduces provisions requiring property owners to provide detailed rent roll records during vacancy surveys, with potential civil penalties of up to $500 for non-compliance or submitting false information. Additionally, the legislation allows smaller municipalities to regulate housing accommodations in buildings completed or substantially rehabilitated within the past 15 years, expanding the scope of rent stabilization. The bill emphasizes confidentiality of tenant data and provides a framework for local governments to more comprehensively assess and respond to housing emergencies, with the goal of protecting tenants and addressing housing affordability challenges.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S4659