Real Rent Reform Campaign

This is a victory decades in the making and an affirmation that people power can defeat the formidable landlord lobby.

The agreement, reached by the Senate and Assembly, will have far reaching impacts not only on our homes but on real estate influence over our state government. The bill, which limits landlords' ability to profit on the backs of working families, could change the economic calculus of corporate landlords who cause displacement and gentrification across our city.

The impacts of these bills will be felt most immediately by the 300,000 preferential rent tenants who will no longer face a huge increase to their rent at lease renewal, the 30,000 rent controlled tenants who are now protected from a 7.5% increase and tenants across the state who can now organize locally to enact their own system of rent regulation.

At the same time, this bill does not go far enough for some of the tenants who need the most protections and economic relief. We are disappointed that it does n…

We believe that housing is a human right; that all people should live without the fear of eviction; and that strengthening renters’ rights is critical to strong neighborhoods, educational and health outcomes, and economic stability for all New Yorkers. Over the course of the 20th century, New Yorkers across the state have benefited from various forms of rent control, which protects tenants’ from unjust evictions and arbitrary rent increases. Now, however, that system has been eroded so much that it only applies to tenants in 8 counties, and has been weakened with loopholes that encourage tenant harassment and allow sudden and permanent rent hikes. Since 1994, we have lost nearly 300,000 units of affordable, rent stabilized housing. 5 million New Yorkers have no renter protections whatsoever—simply because of where or what kind of housing they live in. Every tenant in New York, no matter where they live, deserves the same basic protections.
In 2019, New York State’s renter protection fr…

'Cuomo, We're at War!' Brooklyn Tenants Demand Rent Control (Brooklyn Reader) Jan 24, 2019 Could New York City-style rent control be coming to Upstate NY? (Syracuse) Jan 24, 2019Democratic lawmakers want to reform upstate rent laws (times union)Jan 23, 2019
Tenant Justice March to Take Place in Williamsburg on Wednesday, Part of Nationwide Effort (greenpoint post) Jan 22, 2019
New York landlords rush rent hikes ahead of housing reforms (the Real Deal) Jan 22, 2019
What’s not in Cuomo’s budget? (city and state) Jan 16, 2019
A Rent Regulation Fight Is Brewing in Albany (commercial observer) Jan 15, 2019
How rent regulation depends on closing the LLC loophole (city and state) Jan 3, 2019
Commentary: Time to open paths of opportunity to communities of color(times union)