Bill Text: NY A06410 | 2011-2012 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Provides that a rent reduction made pursuant to the rent stabilization law of 1969 and based upon a reduction in services provided by a landlord shall be retroactive to the date occurring 30 days after the date upon which the tenant applied to the division of housing and community renewal for such a reduction.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-01-04 - referred to housing [A06410 Detail]
Download: New_York-2011-A06410-Introduced.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 6410 2011-2012 Regular Sessions I N A S S E M B L Y March 16, 2011 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. KAVANAGH -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Housing AN ACT to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to rent reduction based upon a failure to maintain services for purposes of the rent stabilization law of nineteen hundred sixty- nine THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: 1 Section 1. Section 26-514 of the administrative code of the city of 2 New York, as amended by chapter 116 of the laws of 1997, is amended to 3 read as follows: 4 S 26-514 Maintenance of services. In order to collect a rent adjust- 5 ment authorized pursuant to the provisions of subdivision d of section 6 26-510 of this chapter an owner must file with the state division of 7 housing and community renewal, on a form which the commissioner shall 8 prescribe, a written certification that he or she is maintaining and 9 will continue to maintain all services furnished on the date upon which 10 the emergency tenant protection act of nineteen seventy-four becomes a 11 law or required to be furnished by any state law or local law, ordinance 12 or regulation applicable to the premises. In addition to any other reme- 13 dy afforded by law, any tenant may apply to the state division of hous- 14 ing and community renewal, for a reduction in the rent to the level in 15 effect prior to its most recent adjustment and for an order requiring 16 services to be maintained as provided in this section, and the commis- 17 sioner shall so reduce the rent if it is found that the owner has failed 18 to maintain such services. SUCH REDUCTION SHALL BE RETROACTIVE TO THE 19 DATE OCCURRING THIRTY DAYS AFTER THE DATE UPON WHICH THE TENANT APPLIED 20 TO THE DIVISION FOR SUCH A REDUCTION. The owner shall also be barred 21 from applying for or collecting any further rent increases. The restora- 22 tion of such services shall result in the prospective elimination of 23 such sanctions. The owner shall be supplied with a copy of the applica- EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD08712-01-1 A. 6410 2 1 tion and shall be permitted to file an answer thereto. A hearing may be 2 held upon the request of either party, or the commissioner may hold a 3 hearing upon his or her own motion. The commissioner may consolidate the 4 proceedings for two or more petitions applicable to the same building or 5 group of buildings or development. If the commissioner finds that the 6 owner has knowingly filed a false certification, it shall, in addition 7 to abating the rent, assess the owner with the reasonable costs of the 8 proceeding, including reasonable attorneys' fees, and impose a penalty 9 not in excess of two hundred fifty dollars for each false certification. 10 The amount of the reduction in rent ordered by the state division of 11 housing and community renewal under this [subdivision] SECTION shall be 12 reduced by any credit, abatement or offset in rent which the tenant has 13 received pursuant to section two hundred thirty-five-b of the real prop- 14 erty law, that relates to one or more conditions covered by such order. 15 S 2. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall 16 have become a law and shall apply to all applications for reductions in 17 rent pending on the effective date of this act or filed on or after such 18 date with the state division of housing and community renewal pursuant 19 to the provisions of section 26-514 of the administrative code of the 20 city of New York; provided that the amendments to section 26-514 of the 21 rent stabilization law of nineteen hundred sixty-nine made by section 22 one of this act shall expire on the same date as such law expires and 23 shall not affect the expiration of such law as provided under section 24 26-520 of such law.