File #: Int 1523-2017    Version: Name: Creation of an office of the tenant advocate within the dept of buildings.
Type: Introduction Status: Enacted
Committee: Committee on Housing and Buildings
On agenda: 3/16/2017
Enactment date: 8/30/2017 Law number: 2017/161
Title: A Local Law to amend the New York city charter, in relation to the creation of an office of the tenant advocate within the department of buildings
Sponsors: Helen K. Rosenthal, Stephen T. Levin, Rafael Salamanca, Jr., Ydanis A. Rodriguez, Carlos Menchaca, Karen Koslowitz, Deborah L. Rose, Corey D. Johnson, Ben Kallos, Fernando Cabrera , Andrew Cohen, Mark Levine, Vincent J. Gentile
Council Member Sponsors: 13
Summary: This bill would establish an Office of the Tenant Advocate within the Department of Buildings, whose duties would include but not be limited to: monitoring tenant protection plans to ensure compliance with the administrative code; establishing a system to receive comments, questions and complaints with respect to tenant protection plans; establishing a system to communicate with tenants who are affected by work in occupied multiple dwellings; monitoring sites where a tenant protection plan is required to ensure compliance with such plan; and publishing quarterly reports related to the responsibilities of the office.
Attachments: 1. Legislative History Report, 2. Summary of Int. No. 1523-A, 3. Summary of Int. No. 1523, 4. Int. No. 1523, 5. March 16, 2017 - Stated Meeting Agenda with Links to Files, 6. Committee Report 4/19/17, 7. Hearing Testimony 4/19/17, 8. Hearing Transcript 4/19/17, 9. Proposed Int. No. 1523-A - 8/3/17, 10. Committee Report 8/8/17, 11. Hearing Transcript 8/8/17, 12. August 9, 2017 - Stated Meeting Agenda with Links to Files, 13. Int. No. 1523-A (FINAL), 14. Fiscal Impact Statement, 15. Hearing Transcript - Stated Meeting 8-9-17, 16. Mayor's Letter, 17. Local Law 161, 18. Minutes of the Stated Meeting - August 9, 2017
Date Ver.Prime SponsorAction ByActionResultAction DetailsMeeting DetailsMultimedia
9/1/2017AHelen K. Rosenthal City Council Recved from Mayor by Council  Action details Meeting details Not available
8/30/2017AHelen K. Rosenthal Mayor Signed Into Law by Mayor  Action details Meeting details Not available
8/25/2017AHelen K. Rosenthal Mayor Hearing Held by Mayor  Action details Meeting details Not available
8/9/2017AHelen K. Rosenthal City Council Sent to Mayor by Council  Action details Meeting details Not available
8/9/2017AHelen K. Rosenthal City Council Approved by CouncilPass Action details Meeting details Not available
8/8/2017*Helen K. Rosenthal Committee on Housing and Buildings Hearing Held by Committee  Action details Meeting details Not available
8/8/2017*Helen K. Rosenthal Committee on Housing and Buildings Amendment Proposed by Comm  Action details Meeting details Not available
8/8/2017*Helen K. Rosenthal Committee on Housing and Buildings Amended by Committee  Action details Meeting details Not available
8/8/2017AHelen K. Rosenthal Committee on Housing and Buildings Approved by CommitteePass Action details Meeting details Not available
4/19/2017*Helen K. Rosenthal Committee on Housing and Buildings Hearing Held by Committee  Action details Meeting details Not available
4/19/2017*Helen K. Rosenthal Committee on Housing and Buildings Laid Over by Committee  Action details Meeting details Not available
3/16/2017*Helen K. Rosenthal City Council Referred to Comm by Council  Action details Meeting details Not available
3/16/2017*Helen K. Rosenthal City Council Introduced by Council  Action details Meeting details Not available

Int. No. 1523-A

 

By Council Members Rosenthal, Levin, Salamanca, Rodriguez, Menchaca, Koslowitz, Rose, Johnson, Kallos, Cabrera, Cohen, Levine and Gentile

 

A Local Law to amend the New York city charter, in relation to the creation of an office of the tenant advocate within the department of buildings

 

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

 

Section 1. Chapter 26 of the New York city charter is amended by adding a new section 650 to read as follows:

§ 650. a. Establishment of the office of the tenant advocate. There shall be in the department an office of the tenant advocate, whose duties shall include, but not be limited to:

1. monitoring tenant protection plans to ensure that such plans comply with the requirements of section 28-104.8.4 of the administrative code;

2. establishing a system to receive comments, questions and complaints with respect to tenant protection plans, including, but not limited to, establishing and publicizing the availability of a telephone number to receive such comments, questions and complaints;

3. establishing a system to communicate with tenants who are affected by work in occupied multiple dwellings to ensure that such tenants have notice of such work, understand the applicable tenant protection plan and understand their rights as tenants during such work; and

4. monitoring sites with tenant protection plans to ensure that such sites are complying with such plans and, if the office finds that a site is not complying with such plan, making a recommendation to the commissioner to issue a stop work order for such site until such site is in compliance.

b. Reporting. The office of the tenant advocate shall submit to the mayor and the speaker of the city council, and publish on the department’s website, quarterly reports related to the responsibilities of the office, including but not limited to:

1. the number of complaints received by the office and a description of such complaints;

2. the average time taken to respond to such complaints;

3. a description of efforts made to communicate with tenants; and

4. the number of recommendations made to the commissioner to issue a stop work order for a site that is not in complying with a tenant protection plan and the number of such recommendations followed by the commissioner.

c. Posting of office information. The department shall post on its website the phone number of the office of the tenant advocate and a statement indicating that any person may contact such office if such person has a comment, question or complaint regarding tenant protection plans.

§ 2. This local law takes effect 120 days after it becomes law, except that the commissioner of buildings may take such measures as are necessary for its implementation, including the promulgation of rules, prior to its effective date.

 

FM/GP

LS #5762

8/1/17 7:38 PM