What is the Right to Remain?
The Right to Remain, also known as Good Cause Eviction, gives renters the right to renew their tenancies and the ability to fight unconscionable rent hikes. It would STOP retaliatory evictions and protect renters all over New York State from price gouging and landlord harassment.
Good Cause Eviction (S3082/A5573) is currently being debated in the NY State legislature. It was introduced in 2019 by Senator Julia Salazar and Assemblywoman Pamela Hunter and would give 4 million renters the right to remain in their homes.
What does Good Cause Eviction actually do?
- It protects tenants against discriminatory and/or aribtrary evictions. Right now, landlords do not have to provide any reason at all to terminate a lease or evict a tenant. As a result, 70% of evictions are carried out 'informally' -- landlords simply tell families they have to leave. When cases do make it to court, tenants have few rights to defend their occupancy. Our bill would give tenants the right to remain in their homes unless the landlord has 'good cause' to remove them. The end of a lease term would NOT be a good cause of eviction, so landlords would not be able to kick people out of their home by simply refusing to renew their leases.
- It would strengthen renters’ ability to fight for repairs and better conditions in their homes. Right now, landlords can evict families who complain about living conditions, either by jacking up their rent to unsustainable levels or by simply refusing to renew their leases. Good Cause would give tenants the right to stay EVEN when they make complaints and organize with their neighbors for better conditions.
- It would stop the outrageous rent hikes sweeping New York State. To average New Yorkers living paycheck to paycheck, a $500 or $1,000 rent increase is an eviction by another name. Right now, landlords can raise people’s rent with NO justification in most buildings in NY state. Under Good Cause Eviction, rent increases over a certain threshold (currently 1.5% of the Consumer Price Index) could be challenged and stopped by tenants for being unconscionable.