The Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act (HSTPA) provides for statewide rent regulation in that it prohibits a landlord from evicting a tenant for filing a complaint on a code violation against the landlord; creates a crime of unlawful eviction, where a landlord illegally locks a tenant out of the premises or uses force to evict a tenant; requires a landlord to provide notice to their tenant if the landlord intends to increase the rent more than five (5) percent or does not intend to renew the tenant’s lease; limits security deposits to one month’s rent and provides procedures to ensure the security deposit is promptly returned to the tenant; and strengthens protections for tenants against retaliatory evictions, among other provisions.
The proposed good cause eviction legislation builds upon the HSTPA but is wholly separate. The HSTPA applies to all landlord-tenant relationships in the State of New York; the protections found in this proposed legislation will apply only to eviction proceedings where the subject property is located in the City of Albany. The HSTPA does not codify any grounds for eviction. This legislation seeks to fill that gap, so that landlords and tenants who rent in the City of Albany will be on notice of the rules and expectations.