The New York legislature plans to meet in a special session Monday to block eviction proceedings in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic as low-income families face billions nationwide in unpaid rent.
The legislature will pass what is effectively a two-month moratorium on evictions to give renters a chance to declare financial hardship caused by the pandemic and its attending economic slowdown. The bill will cover all eviction processes that begin in the next month.
“From the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic we have understood that housing security must be an essential part of our effort to protect the health and wellbeing of all New Yorkers,” said state Sen. Brian Kavanagh (D), the bill’s author. “We are delivering real protection for countless renters and homeowners who would otherwise be at risk of losing their homes.”
Kavanagh’s bill will create a standardized form that residents facing financial hardships can fill out. Renters would submit the forms if they face income losses or increased costs specifically because of the pandemic.
It also postpones foreclosures and tax lien sales for residential property owners, an effort to shield smaller landlords — those who own fewer than ten rental units — and homeowners.
Governor Cuomo said he would approve the measures.
Read more at The Hill.
{Matzav.com}
