Int. No. 1677
By Council Members Rosenthal, Kallos and Cornegy
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring a report on dwellings that were preserved as a result of programs that combat tenant harassment
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Title 27 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new article 4 of subchapter 4 of chapter 2 to read as follows:
Article 4
Tenant Harassment Reporting
§ 27-2109.61 Tenant Harassment Reporting. a. For the purposes of this section, the term “rent regulated dwelling” means (i) a dwelling unit with a legal regulated rent pursuant to the emergency tenant protection act of 1974, the rent stabilization law of 1969 or the local emergency housing rent control act of 1962, (ii) a dwelling unit required by law to be registered and regulated pursuant to the emergency tenant protection act of 1974 or the rent stabilization law of 1969, (iii) a dwelling unit with a legal regulated rent within a building developed with subsidies received pursuant to section 1701q of title 12 of the United States code and (iv) a dwelling unit with a legal regulated rent within a building participating in a project-based assistance program pursuant to section 1473f of title 42 of the United States code.
b. Beginning December 1, 2020 and by December 1 of each year thereafter, the commissioner, in consultation with the director of the mayor’s office to protect tenants, the commissioner of buildings, the commissioner of health and mental hygiene and the police commissioner, shall provide to the mayor and the speaker of the council a report describing efforts by such director of the mayor’s office to protect tenants and any such agency or entity to preserve dwellings, including but not limited to rent regulated dwellings, and efforts to combat tenant harassment, as defined in paragraph 48 of subdivision a of section 27-2004 of this code, during the immediately preceding fiscal year.
c. Such report shall be disaggregated by borough and community board and shall include, but not be limited to:
1. A list of each program or initiative administered by such director or respective city agency that engages in activities intended to prevent acts of tenant harassment, including, but not limited to the tenant anti harassment unit, tenant harassment prevention task force, universal access to counsel, certificate of no harassment and the partners in preservation and the number of tenants to whom assistance from such program or initiative was provided;
2. The number of cases brought by the department’s housing litigation division and the tenant anti harassment unit in housing court to adjudicate claims of tenant harassment and the percentage of such cases where the court has issued a finding of harassment; and
3. To the extent that such records are kept by such director of the mayor’s office to protect tenants, the department, the department of buildings, or other city agency, the number and location of each rent regulated dwelling directly implicated by the programs or initiatives reported pursuant to paragraphs 1 and 2 of this subdivision, and whether such dwelling remains subject to rent regulation at the time of reporting.
§ 2. This local law takes effect 120 days after it becomes law, except that the commissioner of housing preservation and development may take such actions, including the promulgations of rules, as are necessary for implementation of this local law prior to such effective date.
KS/AB
LS 6131
6/20/2019