Bill Text: NY A01973 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Requires landlords to mitigate damages if a tenant vacates a premises in violation of the terms of the lease.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 13-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2020-02-24 - enacting clause stricken [A01973 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A01973-Amended.html


                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                         1973--A
                                                                 Cal. No. 26
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    January 18, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  M.  of  A. ZEBROWSKI, COOK, VANEL, CAHILL, JAFFEE, GOTT-
          FRIED, COLTON, NIOU, AUBRY -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of  A.  D'URSO,
          SIMON  --  read  once  and  referred  to the Committee on Judiciary --
          reported from committee, advanced to  a  third  reading,  amended  and
          ordered reprinted, retaining its place on the order of third reading
        AN  ACT  to  amend the real property law, in relation to requiring land-
          lords to mitigate damages if a tenant vacates a premises in  violation
          of the terms of the lease
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. The real property law is amended by adding  a  new  section
     2  227-e to read as follows:
     3    §  227-e.  Landlord  duty  to mitigate damages. In any lease or rental
     4  agreement, excluding any real estate purchase contract defined in  para-
     5  graphs  (a),  (c)  and  (d)  of subdivision four of section four hundred
     6  sixty-one of this  chapter,  covering  premises  occupied  for  dwelling
     7  purposes,  if  a  tenant vacates a premises in violation of the terms of
     8  the lease, the landlord  shall,  in  good  faith,  take  reasonable  and
     9  customary  actions  to  rent  the  premises at fair market value. If the
    10  landlord rents the premises at fair market value, the new tenant's lease
    11  shall, once in effect, terminate the previous tenant's lease  and  miti-
    12  gate  damages  otherwise recoverable against the previous tenant because
    13  of such tenant's vacating the premises. The burden of proof shall be  on
    14  the  party  seeking  to  recover  damages. Any provision in a lease that
    15  exempts a landlord's duty to mitigate damages under this  section  shall
    16  be void as contrary to public policy.
    17    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD06169-06-9
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