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NY lawmakers pass extensive eviction ban

Dec 29, 2020 6:00 am

Janaki Chad and Bill Mahoney are reporting for Politico New York state lawmakers Mon., Dec. 28, approved a sweeping eviction moratorium that has led to pushback from landlord groups asserting the measure will hurt struggling property owners. The bill would stop evictions and foreclosures statewide for 60 days, and allow tenants and mortgagers who have lost jobs or income due to the pandemic to submit financial hardship declarations to halt those proceedings until May 1. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said he would sign the bill. Several housing groups cheered the bill's passage, while calling for the Legislature to pass substantial rental relief or forgiveness in the coming months. At the same time, landlord groups say their members cannot swallow months of missed rent payments and note that many property owners are struggling to keep up with real estate taxes and utility bills. Legislators said the extended ban gives them time to create a more expansive rental assistance program and to distribute relief funds. An existing $100 million rent relief program was approved over the summer, but less than half of that money has been distributed so far. Judith Goldiner, a lead attorney at the Legal Aid Society, said lawmakers must “remain open to enhancing this legislation if we find ourselves still severely mired in the pandemic come May.” Read the full story at politico [dot] com.