It’s budget season in Albany, and this year is all about housing. Gov. Kathy Hochul made it the centerpiece of her State of the State address, with a plan to build 800,000 units of housing over the next decade. With so much attention on the issue, tenant advocates are expressing newfound confidence that “good cause” eviction protections will get approved as part of a broad housing package, likely paired with a replacement for a controversial developer tax break that’s critical to the implementation of Hochul’s plan.

For years, housing activists have pushed for new tenant protections that would aid renters in apartments that aren’t rent-stabilized. The proposal, dubbed good cause eviction, would enumerate the specific instances that a landlord would be justified in evicting a tenant with the intent of protecting them from losing their housing arbitrarily or unjustly. The cornerstone of the bill, however, was also the most controversial. It would make it illegal for a landlord to kick out a renter for refusing to pay an “unconscionable” rent increase, effectively placing a cap on how much property owners can raise rents on market-rate units. The legislation has faced resistance from the politically powerful real estate industry.

Still, tenant advocates said the pieces were all in place this year for good cause to get approved despite its failures in the past. “There is a shared recognition of the housing crisis we’re in this legislative session that has not previously existed,” Rebecca Garrard, legislative director at Citizen Action of New York, told City & State. “It is on everyone’s mind, including the governor’s.” She said that she expects a comprehensive housing package to get passed as part of the budget and fully expects that new tenant protections – or at least some version of them – will be a part of that.

https://www.cityandstateny.com/policy/2023/02/rent-protections-stand-out-state-legislative-sessio

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