BILL NUMBER: S8857
SPONSOR: JACKSON
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the real property law, in relation to creating the
tenants' bill of rights
 
PURPOSE:
To codify and consolidate the core rights of tenants into a clear and
accessible Tenants' Bill of Rights, ensuring that all tenants are aware
of their legal protections under the New York State Housing Law.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
This bill adds a new section 230-a to the Real Property Law, establish-
ing a "Tenants' Bill of Rights" which enumerates key rights already
granted to tenants have existing law, including but not limited: the
right to a habitable premises, the right to organize or join tenant
associations, protection against landlords retaliation, the right to
sublease the lease, the right to terminate leases under specified condi-
tions, the right to proper notice of rent increases or non- renewals,
the rights to receive rent receipts and to opt out of mandatory elec-
tronic payments methods and the right to offset utility payments against
rent when legally applicable.
Landlords will be required:
-To provide a copy of the "Tenants' Bill of Rights" at the signing of
any written or oral lease and
-Post the Tenants' bill of rights in all residential buildings with more
than six units.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Tenants often remain unaware of their rights due to complexities and
dispersion of housing laws. By consolidating these rights into a simple,
user-friendly format and requiring landlords to distribute and display
them, this bill will promote transparency, reduce conflicts, and empower
tenants to assert their legal protections.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it becomes law.