What is Good Cause Eviction?

Good Cause Eviction protects tenants from unreasonable rent hikes and retaliatory or discriminatory evictions. Currently, when a lease expires for most apartments or homes in NY, the landlord can choose not to renew it for any reason and raise the rent as high as they want. 

As a result, landlords can kick out tenants even for patently unfair reasons – like retaliation for raising concerns about living conditions – and spike the rent. There have been growing reports of rent hikes as high as 30, 50, even 100 %. For many working families, that kind of increase all but amounts to an eviction. 

Good Cause can help families stay in their homes, fight unfair rent increases and evictions, and keep our neighborhoods stable and safe.

Why Do We Need It? 

The housing crisis in New York is acute. Rents, evictions, and homelessness are at record highs. (See sidebar). NYC residential evictions are up 25-fold since the eviction moratorium ended in January.

Corporate landlords and private equity firms are increasingly buying up housing stock across New York – especially in low-income neighborhoods of color – and evicting tenants to flip properties and make a quick buck. 

Without action now, more and more families will find themselves on the streets or unable to afford to live in our state.

How Will It Work?

Rent Increases: Good Cause requires landlords to justify rent hikes greater than 3% (or 150% of the Consumer Price Index). If a landlord raises rent above this rate, they must then be prepared to justify it before a judge who can demand to see the landlord’s books. If the tenant is unable to pay the increase and falls behind on rent, they can raise “Good Cause” as a defense in an eviction case.

Evictions: Good Cause gives tenants the power to challenge evictions that are arbitrary, retaliatory, or discriminatory. If a tenant has followed their lease and believes an eviction is without cause, they can ask a judge to determine if there is cause for termination and the landlord would be required to justify it.

Who Will Be Covered?

1.6 million households statewide – roughly half of the state’s renters. In some counties, especially upstate, 75% of tenants will be covered. (See map at right).

Who Will NOT Be Covered? 

The law does not apply to small landlords or tenants in rent-regulated/rent-stabilized buildings, public housing, or Section 8 housing.

Common Questions

Will this ban landlords from evicting a tenant who’s disruptive or doesn’t pay rent?

NO. Landlords can still evict tenants who don’t pay rent, damage property or use the apartment illegally, as well as take the unit for themselves or a family member. 

Is this rent control in disguise? 

NO. It simply gives tenants a defense against unfair evictions, ultimately leaving their fate up to a judge. If a landlord has evidence that a higher rent is warranted – such as bills for emergency repairs – they can present that info to a judge and refute a tenant’s claims.

​​Will this hurt mom-and-pop landlords?

NO. Truly small landlords – owners of less than 4 units – are exempt from the law. Good Cause can actually help small homeowners struggling to compete in a market increasingly dominated by corporate landlords, who are using underhanded tactics to scoop up properties, push out tenants, and make it hard for homeowners who want to do right by their tenants to keep up.

Will this curb new housing construction?NO. New Jersey has had Good Cause since 1974 and apartment construction has boomed across the state. Good Cause also lets landlords set whatever rent they want when an apartment first appears on the market – which means a landlord can set them at a level that covers their construction costs and debt levels.