Over half of the city's market-rate renters faced rent hikes last year because of state inaction on the Good Cause Eviction bill, which would protect tenants from huge rent increases and retaliatory or discriminatory evictions, elected officials and housing advocates said Thursday.
A report by the non-profit group Community Service Society found that 53% of tenants in market-rate apartments said they faced increased rent in 2023, and 35% of all tenants surveyed said they were behind on their rent or were about to fall behind.
This comes at a time when the city has the lowest rate of housing vacancy rate in the last fifty years, according to a city report that used data from the U.S. Census.
John Levya, a renter at 63 Tiffany Place in Carroll Gardens, said he was facing an enormous rent increase because his building’s rent stabilization agreement was expiring. Levya, who has lived in the building for nearly 30 years with his disabled son, John, said his family and his neighbors will likely be forced out of their homes and neighborhood if the bill isn't passed into law.
"Any sensible housing plan should start, first and foremost, with saving the existing affordable housing we presently have, keeping rents down & keeping tenants in their existing homes – and that’s exactly what Good Cause does," said Levya at a rally in front of his building on Wednesday. "Good Cause would save our homes here at 63 Tiffany Place – and if it doesn’t pass, we will in all likelihood end up in the street."
The report also said one in five renters would likely have to move in with other people to affording housing.
“The data is clear: another year without Good Cause has meant another year of rising rents and hardships for market-rate tenants," said Samuel Stein, Senior Policy Analyst for the Community Service Society. "Most market rate tenants saw their rents rise, but three quarters of them so no improvement in their apartment or building. The legislature needs to get serious about tenant protections and pass Good Cause now.”
Several elected officials attended the rally, including Senator Julia Salazar, Senator Andrew Gounardes, Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and City Councilmember Shahana Hanif.
