Bill Text: NY A01321 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Provides an owner or lessee access to adjoining property to make improvements or repairs for certain circumstances.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to judiciary [A01321 Detail]
Download: New_York-2023-A01321-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1321 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 17, 2023 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. RAJKUMAR -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Judiciary AN ACT to amend the real property actions and proceedings law, in relation to access to adjoining property to make improvements or repairs The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 881 of the real property actions and proceedings 2 law, as added by chapter 220 of the laws of 1968, is amended to read as 3 follows: 4 § 881. Access to adjoining property to make improvements or repairs. 5 1. As used in this section: (a) the term "document" shall include but 6 not be limited to copies of any plans, specifications, surveys, engi- 7 neering reports or evidence of insurance for the work to be performed on 8 adjoining property; 9 (b) the term "licensee" shall refer to the owner or lessee, as appli- 10 cable, who seeks entry onto an adjoining property; 11 (c) the term "adjoining owner" shall refer to the owner or its lessee 12 of the property adjoining that of the licensee; and 13 (d) the term "refuse", "refusal", or "refused" shall be deemed to 14 include instances where a request has been made in writing and there is 15 a subsequent absence of any affirmative response within a commercially 16 reasonable time. 17 2. When [an owner or lessee] a licensee seeks to make improvements or 18 repairs to real property so situated that such improvements or repairs 19 cannot be made by the [owner or lessee] licensee in a commercially 20 reasonable manner without entering the premises of an adjoining owner 21 [or his lessee], and permission so to enter has been refused, the [owner22or lessee seeking to make such improvements or repairs] licensee may 23 commence a special proceeding for a license so to enter pursuant to 24 article four of the civil practice law and rules. The petition and affi- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD03173-02-3A. 1321 2 1 davits, if any, shall state the facts [making such entry necessary and2the date or dates on which entry is sought] supporting the entry and the 3 date or dates upon which entry is sought. Any adjoining owner named as 4 a party in such proceeding shall, at the request of the licensee, 5 provide such licensee with such information as shall allow the licensee 6 to identify the lessees of the adjoining owner and join them in the 7 proceeding. Such license shall be granted by the court in an appropriate 8 case and upon such other terms as justice requires. The licensee shall 9 be liable to the adjoining owner [or his lessee] for actual damages 10 occurring as a result of the entry. 11 3. The purposes for which a licensee may seek permission to enter an 12 adjoining property pursuant to this section shall include, without limi- 13 tation: 14 (a) Preconstruction survey to document the existing conditions of the 15 adjoining property; 16 (b) The installation, maintenance, inspection, repair, replacement 17 and/or removal of: (i) vibration, crack or optical monitoring devices on 18 or within any existing improvements on the adjoining property; (ii) 19 sheds, bridges, netting or other protective covering over the roof, 20 facades, windows, skylights, mechanical equipment, chimneys or other 21 exterior portions of buildings or yards, walkways, driveways or other 22 open areas on the adjoining property; (iii) scaffolding on or over the 23 adjoining property; (iv) sheeting, shoring, bracing or other retaining 24 structures needed for demolition, support or excavation; (v) foundation 25 or building supports, including, without limitation, wall ties, tie- 26 backs, anchors, straps and underpinning, for any demolition, new or 27 existing improvements on the premises of the licensee or adjoining 28 owner, including, without limitation, party walls; or (vi) flashing, 29 sealing or other materials or equipment needed to establish the weath- 30 er-proof integrity of any wall, foundation or other exterior portion of 31 a building on the adjoining property; 32 (c) Temporary projections or intrusions into the airspace of the 33 adjoining property as necessary to complete the proposed improvements or 34 repairs; 35 (d) Temporary or permanent relocation, extension or offsetting of any 36 chimneys, vents, flues, exhausts or other rooftop equipment on the 37 adjoining property, as required by applicable law; 38 (e) Construction staging necessary to complete any work on the adjoin- 39 ing property; or 40 (f) The undertaking of such other measures as may be required by 41 applicable law or good construction practice. 42 4. The grant of any permission pursuant to this section shall be 43 subject to the following conditions: 44 (a) The exercise of any right of entry to the adjoining property shall 45 be upon reasonable prior notice to the adjoining owner, as applicable 46 and as the court may establish, except in cases of an emergency posing 47 an immediate threat to the safety of persons or property; 48 (b) The licensee shall provide to the adjoining owner, as applicable 49 and as reasonably practicable but no later than the delivery date of the 50 applicable notice required pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subdivi- 51 sion, a good faith projection of the dates and estimated duration of any 52 entry to the adjoining property. The licensee shall thereafter make 53 commercially reasonable efforts to adhere to such dates and durations or 54 provide timely notification of changes thereto; 55 (c) Where permission includes a right to install, maintain, inspect, 56 repair, replace or remove any devices, structures, materials or equip-A. 1321 3 1 ment on the adjoining property, the grantee licensee shall provide to 2 the adjoining owner, as applicable, copies of any relevant documents 3 prior to commencement of such work; 4 (d) The licensee and/or any contractor, consultant or agent thereof 5 that accesses the adjoining property pursuant to the license shall 6 procure and maintain commercial general liability insurance for damage 7 to persons or property, naming the adjoining owner and/or its lessee(s), 8 as applicable and made known to licensee, as additional insureds, in 9 such amounts as are commercially reasonable for the entry to the adjoin- 10 ing property. The licensee shall provide the adjoining owner and its 11 lessees, as applicable, with relevant documents; and 12 (e) The licensee shall be required to reasonably compensate the 13 adjoining owner for the use and occupancy of the adjoining premises. 14 5. The court, in granting a license or otherwise resolving a proceed- 15 ing brought pursuant to this section, shall be authorized to: 16 (a) consider evidence that either party failed to comply with the 17 terms of any existing or previously existing license respecting the same 18 property, or failed to respond to a written request within a commercial- 19 ly reasonable time; 20 (b) obligate the licensee to reimburse the adjoining owner for reason- 21 able architect's and/or engineer's fees incurred in connection with the 22 review of relevant documents for the installation, maintenance, 23 inspection, repair, replacement or removal of devices, structures, mate- 24 rials or equipment on the adjoining property; 25 (c) approve, and obligate the adjoining owner to accept such documents 26 for the installation, maintenance, inspection, repair, replacement or 27 removal of devices, structures, materials or equipment on the adjoining 28 property as the licensee may present during the proceeding; 29 (d) approve, and obligate the licensee to accept reasonable comments 30 on documents propounded by the adjoining owner; 31 (e) insure for damage to property and persons if there is unique, 32 physical occurrence causing physical damage to property or persons 33 caused by the access; and 34 (f) award reasonable attorneys' fees to either party upon a finding 35 that the other party acted in bad faith or engaged in willful misconduct 36 in seeking, denying, or conditioning its approval of the rights of entry 37 that are the subject of the proceeding. 38 § 2. The real property actions and proceedings law is amended by 39 adding a new section 882 to read as follows: 40 § 882. Severability. If any provision of this article or the applica- 41 tion thereof to any person or circumstances is held invalid, the remain- 42 der of the article and the application of such provision to other 43 persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby. 44 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
