Tenant advocates in the New York State Legislature have proposed a series of bills designed to dramatically increase tenant protections and decrease property rights. These proposals, and others to come, will be debated in Albany next year when the rent laws come up for renewal. This article will discuss three of those proposals, concerning the Urstadt Law, limits on MCI rent increases, and the elimination of high rent vacancy deregulation.
The Repeal of the Urstadt Law
The Urstadt Law, originally enacted pursuant to L. 1971, ch 372, gives the New York State Legislature virtually exclusive authority to amend New York City rent regulatory laws, rendering the New York City Council largely powerless. A proposed bill (S.3179/A.5557) seeks to repeal the Urstadt Law.
