The City Council yesterday passed legislation meant to prevent property owners from using high pressure tactics to drive out rent stabilized tenants.
A package of three bills approved 41-1 will:
- Make it unlawful for a building owner to contact a tenant about a buyout offer for 180 days after being notified in writing by the tenant that he/she wishes not to be contacted about buyouts. There’s an exception in the legislation when a judge orders the two sides to enter buyout negotiations.
- Ban building owners from: “threatening, intimidating or using profane or obscene language” in connection with buyout offers; contacting tenants at “odd hours or with such frequency” as to be considered harassment; contacting tenants at their places of employment without permission; and “knowingly falsifying or misrepresenting information provided to a tenant.”
- Make it unlawful for a tenant to be contacted about a buyout offer without being notified in writing of: (1) the purpose for the contact; (2) that they may refuse any offer made and that they are permitted to stay in their apartment; (3) that they may consult an attorney regarding any offer made; (4) that any offer is being made by or on behalf of the owner; and (5) that they may refuse any further contact regarding a buyout offer for a period of 180 days.
“In recent years, due in part to rapidly increasing housing prices,” a City Council press release noted, “some owners have engaged in abusive and intimidating behavior to coerce tenants into accepting these buyout offers and leaving their homes.” “Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said, “All of these laws will protect tenants and keep the process of buyout offers by land lords fair and honest.”
