File #: Int 1551-2017    Version: * Name: Unauthorized non-rent fees on rent bills.
Type: Introduction Status: Filed (End of Session)
Committee: Committee on Housing and Buildings
On agenda: 4/5/2017
Enactment date: Law number:
Title: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to unauthorized non-rent fees on rent bills
Sponsors: Ritchie J. Torres, Helen K. Rosenthal, Mark Levine, Donovan J. Richards, Carlos Menchaca, Stephen T. Levin
Council Member Sponsors: 6
Summary: Harassment is currently defined as performing one of a list of acts or omissions which causes or is intended to cause a tenant to leave their home. This bill would amend the harassment law to create a rebuttable presumption that including non-rent fees on a rent bill is intended to cause or did cause a tenant to leave their home.
Attachments: 1. Summary of Int. No. 1551, 2. April 5, 2017 - Stated Meeting Agenda with Links to Files, 3. Int. No. 1551, 4. Committee Report 4/19/17, 5. Hearing Testimony 4/19/17, 6. Hearing Transcript 4/19/17
Date Ver.Prime SponsorAction ByActionResultAction DetailsMeeting DetailsMultimedia
12/31/2017*Ritchie J. Torres City Council Filed (End of Session)  Action details Meeting details Not available
4/19/2017*Ritchie J. Torres Committee on Housing and Buildings Hearing Held by Committee  Action details Meeting details Not available
4/19/2017*Ritchie J. Torres Committee on Housing and Buildings Laid Over by Committee  Action details Meeting details Not available
4/5/2017*Ritchie J. Torres City Council Referred to Comm by Council  Action details Meeting details Not available
4/5/2017*Ritchie J. Torres City Council Introduced by Council  Action details Meeting details Not available

Int. No. 1551

 

By Council Members Torres, Rosenthal, Levine, Richards, Menchaca and Levin

 

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to unauthorized non-rent fees on rent bills

 

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

 

 

                     Section 1. The opening paragraph of paragraph 48 of subdivision a of section 27-2004 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as added by local law number 7 for the year 2008, is amended to read as follows:

                     48. Except where otherwise provided, the term “harassment” shall mean any act or omission by or on behalf of an owner that (i) causes or is intended to cause any person lawfully  entitled to occupancy of a dwelling unit to vacate such dwelling unit or to surrender or waive  any rights in relation to such occupancy, provided that the act described in subparagraph f-4 of this paragraph shall give rise to a rebuttable presumption that such act was intended to cause or did cause any person lawfully entitled to occupancy of a dwelling unit to vacate such dwelling unit or to surrender or waive any rights in relation to such occupancy, and (ii) includes one or more of the following:

                     § 2. Subparagraph f-3 of paragraph 48 of subdivision a of section 27-2004 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as added by local law number 81 for the year 2015, is amended to read as follows and a new subparagraph f-4 is added to such paragraph to read as follows:

                     f-3. offering money or other valuable consideration to a person lawfully entitled to occupancy of such dwelling unit to induce such person to vacate such dwelling unit or to surrender or waive any rights in relation to such occupancy while engaging in any of the following types of conduct:

                     (1) threatening, intimidating or using obscene language;

                     (2) initiating communication with such frequency, at such unusual hours or in such manner as can be reasonably expected to abuse or harass such person;

                     (3) initiating communication of such person without the prior written consent of such person; or

                     (4) knowingly falsifying or misrepresenting any information provided to such person; [or]

                     f-4. placing non-rent fees on a rent bill where such fees have not been either (i) approved by the New York state division of housing and community renewal or (ii) agreed to in the lease; or                     

                     § 3. This local law takes effect 120 days after it becomes law, except that the commissioner of housing preservation and development may take such measures as are necessary for its implementation, including the promulgation of rules, before such effective date.

 

LS 994

JW/MPC

3/20/17 11:09AM