Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NYC lawmakers to unveil bills that keep displaced tenants close to home, speed repairs
By
Charles Lane
Published Mar 7, 2024
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
David Brand
By
Charles Lane
Published Mar 7, 2024
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A group of City Councilmembers plan to unveil a package of bills Thursday meant to stop landlords from using illegal construction and city vacate orders to move tenants far from their homes and ultimately pressure them to leave for good.
The proposals come on the heels of a Bronx building partially collapsing in December, prompting several residents to be displaced and sent to temporary accommodations in hotels far from their homes. According to the bill’s sponsors, the city has failed to protect tenants when landlords use vacate orders to force the residents out.
Landlords are often restricted in how much they can raise the rent on existing tenants or how much they can charge for apartments that are rent stabilized. By forcing tenants out, owners can make alterations to get around those restrictions.
“One of the biggest problems we see across the city are landlords deliberately destroying or demolishing buildings to force tenants out of their homes or after there's been a big fire,” Councilmember Shekar Krishnan, who represents Jackson Heights, said in a phone interview. “When landlords trigger these vacate orders, the city becomes complicit in these schemes to force tenants from their homes.”
Krishnan’s legislation would require the city’s Housing Preservation and Development agency to create special teams to assist residents of recently vacated buildings in finding new places to live. If the landlord delays repairs, one of Krishnan’s bills would require the city to bring legal action against the property owner.
“HPD often is very hesitant to join and support these lawsuits,” Krishnan said. “[The city] says it's going to be too much money because they see it as a drastic remedy.”
He plans to unveil his legislation alongside Councilmembers Lincoln Restler, Jennifer Guitérrez, Gale Brewer and Alexa Avilés.
A spokesperson for the city housing agency said the administration will review the bills.
Landlord groups said current laws already forbid landlords from evicting tenants during a vacate order.
“These bills seem to reiterate processes and tenant protections already in place, and seek to address activities already not allowed,” said Michael Tobman, a spokesperson for the Rent Stabilization Association.
Another landlord group, Community Housing Improvement Program, declined to comment saying the bill's intent was unclear.
Advocates for tenants pointed to two examples of what they called a growing problem, wherein landlords use vacate orders to make the lives of rent-regulated tenants difficult.
In November, the Department of Buildings issued a vacate order for 273 Lee Ave. in Brooklyn and cited the building for illegal construction. Tenants there said the owner had been excavating under the building for weeks making it unstable.
One tenant who says she lived in the building for 30 years accused the owner of deliberately trying to force her out and refused to give her any information about what was happening.
“I would've loved for somebody to come knock on my door,” Cindy Sanchez said in a phone interview. “I would have loved for HPD to have done that for me, but apparently they didn't do that at all.”
In another example, 374 Wallabout St. in Brooklyn was destroyed in a fire, but the owner refused to make repairs until HPD forced him two years later, according to Barbara Schliff, a tenant organizer for Los Sures.
Lawyers for both buildings did not immediately respond to phone and email messages.
Schliff said it’s common for landlords to move tenants of vacated buildings to another borough and delay repairs trying to make them give up. The new legislation would require landlords to keep tenants in that neighborhood.
“This is a de facto eviction,” Schliff said in a phone interview. “In many cases, there's no plan for the tenant to get back in, there's no plan for the repairs. People lose everything and they have no resources.”
Tagged
Politics
new york city
Housing and Preservation Development
housing
City Council
Charles Lane
Charles is a Day-of reporter focused on breaking news and enterprise. He’s very friendly and can be reached at [email protected], or more securely on whatsapp/signal 631-295-6715
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Bid farewell to summer by looking to the stars in September
This month’s astronomy report highlights the transition from summer into fall.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Aug 30, 2026 at 6:30 a.m. ET
NYPD arrests Bronx man in connection with 2 fatal NYC shootings
NYPD officers arrested Jesus Acosta, 31, in connection with two shootings that killed two men and injured a third earlier this week.
By
Joe Hong
and
Christian Santana
News
NYPD arrests Bronx man in connection with 2 fatal NYC shootings
NYPD officers arrested Jesus Acosta, 31, in connection with two shootings that killed two men and injured a third earlier this week.
By
Joe Hong
and
Christian Santana
Lawsuit claims Rikers staff shackled pregnant woman, violating state and federal law
By
Joe Hong
Brooklyn city councilmembers look to silence Navy Yard's noisy raves
By
Joe Hong
Foreclosures are soaring in the Bronx. Here's what's driving the spike.
By
Joseph Capriglione
and
Herb Pinder
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .