News
State Republican Party Pushes for Rent Relief Distribution
NY Majority Holds $1.3 billion Rent Relief Hostage
Mar 31, 2021
Small landlords are suffering the same devastating consequences as other small businesses around New York State. Actually worse than small businesses who did not have to provide services for free, landlords have had to maintain buildings and pay utility and taxes for properties where renters are not paying their required and agreed upon fees.
We are working-class landlords that have not been compensated for the mandatory shut-downs ordered by Governor Cuomo during the COVID-19 Emergency Response period. To add insult to injury, there is federal money ($1.3 billion) available in NYS coffers for rent relief. A bill for spending this money has been crafted, circulated into and out of housing committees, and debated on the floor of both the NY Senate and Assembly. However, in a covert move to further frustrate the roll-out of rent relief, amid myriad hardship opportunities for renters and extensions on eviction moratoriums, the state majority has this money included in the budget bill, which will not pass on time. The state majority conference is holding this money hostage to the budgetary process.
A whole year as passed since some tenants have paid rent. Not only is this unfair to the landlord, but it is unsustainable to the tenants most in need. Furthermore, the longer rent relief is withheld from the people it is intended to help, the more it causes renters to stop communicating and stop paying their landlords, even when they can. The federal CDC eviction moratorium requires that tenants send a written statement to their landlord that they qualify for hardship under ALL the following conditions:
- Person(s) who has made an effort to obtain government assistance for rent or housing.
- Person(s) who earned no more than $99K ($198K joint) in 2020 or expects not to earn more in 2021, was required to file income taxes for 2020, or received stimulus check.
- Person(s) with loss of income, loss of hours, lay-off, extraordinary out-of-pocket medical expenses.
- Person(s) using best effort to make partial payments as circumstances permit.
- Person(s) would be homeless or force them to move into shared living because they have no other options.
Today, renters have not received help, but both tenant and landlord are the ones who are suffering.
