Gov. Kathy Hochul is moving forward with key parts of a “just cause eviction” bill being pushed by left-wing lawmakers. He is bringing forward a major housing deal being negotiated as part of an already delayed state budget.
Officials said Monday that Hochul and lawmakers were “close” to reaching an agreement on housing issues. The issue is a major stalemate in ongoing negotiations over a spending plan that must be passed on April 1.
State Sen. Julia Salazar (D-Brooklyn), who is sponsoring the bill, told the Post she feels “reassuring” about the state of negotiations compared to last year, when little progress was made on the topic. he said.
Her proposals include effectively limiting rent increases and creating tenant protections that would make eviction nearly impossible without breaking the lease.
“I think it’s urgent that we get that done, especially now that the budget is behind schedule,” said Paul, a progressive.
Officials said the “just cause” bill would cap rent increases at 3% a year, but the deal currently under consideration would increase rent increases by 10%, or 5% based on the latest consumer price index, a measure of inflation. It is said that it is limited to the value. This would mirror legislation already in place in California.
Landlords aren’t technically prohibited from raising rents beyond that level, but if they do, they could be dragged into court.
Regarding the 5% plus CPI proposal, Salazar said, “I think the lower the price, the better.” “But I think there is reasonable support because of California law.”
Hochul is pushing for a few other modest changes, including limiting the law to apply only to units below a certain rent threshold and a 15-year exemption for new construction.
How much rent is required to exempt an apartment from the law remains one of the key questions.
“Large rent forgiveness is fine as long as it’s a really high rent,” Salazar said.
The broader debate also involves whether to give local governments the option to opt out of the law altogether.
Tenant protections are just one part of highly complex housing negotiations, including proposals for tax credits and other incentives to promote more affordable housing and convert office space into housing. and changes to decades-old laws that legally limit building heights. The size of their premises.
Lawmakers and Hochul alike say they are much more optimistic about the prospects for a housing deal now than they were last year, when talks on housing stalled and ultimately killed most of the budget. .
“A region that could be said to have been dead when we arrived last year is coming back to life,” Hochul told reporters during a surprise visit to the press box at the National Assembly building last week. “I call it Lazarus’ bill. They’re back.”
“If we stay awake, we could see housing deals disappear by the end of this week,” one lawmaker quipped to the Post.
