In New York, homeowners terrorizing tenants due to non-payment will be punished

In New York, a bill was passed to Governor Andrew Cuomo for signature, which criminalizes unscrupulous homeowners who persecute tenants for nonpayment. The bill is designed to protect tenants, writes Gothamist.

Фото: Depositphotos

According to the legislative initiative, landlords can be punished for using pressure tools such as turning off heating and hot water, exposing tenants to hazardous substances, and also intentionally creating lifeless conditions. Such actions may be subject to a new class A administrative offense, which provides for a maximum sentence of imprisonment of up to one year.

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“This will help the legal framework match the reality that people face,” said Emily Goldstein, director of tenant organizing and advocacy for the Utilities and Housing Association.

According to her, including the new law will help legal settlement of relations between homeowners and tenants in areas such as Long Island and Westchester County.

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“Tenants will now have a wider choice of legal tools that can meet their needs,” she said.

According to Oksana Mironova, an analyst on housing policy in the Community Service of the community of New York, there is a lot of information about tenant harassment in New York. For example, 2017 research says that 41% of low-income tenants faced at least one type of harassment from a homeowner.

“Governor Cuomo is against landlord abuse, so in 2012 he created the Tenant Defense Team to fight unscrupulous landlords. Preserving the affordable housing program and providing assistance to renters are the state's top priorities,” said Cuomo spokesman Tyrone Stevens.

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