Tenants, Advocates, Homeless New Yorkers are Calling for the Expansion of Rent Stabilization through the REST Act
ALBANY, NEW YORK — Today, Housing Justice for All hosted a press conference with Senate Housing Chair Brian Kavanagh, Assembly Housing Chair Linda Rosenthal, Assembly Member Sarahana Shrestha, and other legislators on the need to pass the Rent Emergency Stabilization for Tenants (REST) Act (S4659D/A04877D) before the end of legislative session tomorrow.
Momentum has been building for the REST Act as tenants, advocates and elected leaders continue to push for its passage. On Monday, more than 75 local elected officials sent a letter to state leaders yesterday urging passage of the REST Act. On Tuesday, the Assembly conferenced the bill. The REST Act recently advanced through the Housing and Codes committees in the Assembly, and technical amendments were made over the weekend in both houses. All of these updates show that the REST Act has support to pass and is nearing the finish line. In a recent interview with City and State NY Speaker Carl Heastie said “Yeah, we’re talking about it.”
“The momentum we’ve seen in support of the REST Act has shown how powerful the tenant movement is. We are building off of the wins from 2019 and working to ensure that tenant protections are spread statewide. People are waking up and seeing that we need expanded tenant protections in upstate New York where tenants are rent burdened, and dealing with a cost of living crisis and federal cuts. We need to pass REST this legislative session to give them the relief they deserve,” said Housing Justice for All Director Sumathy Kumar.
Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha said “We can’t go home this session without passing the REST Act this week, because by the time we come back in January, many of our constituents will have lost their homes already. This is an opt-in bill that simply empowers localities to make the decision themselves whether rent stabilization is a tool they want to use. The requirement to declare a housing emergency by having to conduct a vacancy study doesn’t make sense for municipalities across the state, and it’s time we fix that mistake.”
Assemblymember Dana Levenberg said, “Renters do not just live in New York City. Nearly half of the state’s residents are tenants, including 30% of my constituents. Every year I hear from more constituents facing completely unsustainable rent increases. Municipalities in my district need the flexibility afforded by the REST Act so they can take action to help more of our tenants retain affordable housing. This is a critical missing piece of the housing puzzle for suburban municipalities.”
Senator Lea Webb said, “I support the REST Act because it recognizes the fundamental importance of quality and affordable housing to public health, safety, and dignity. Communities know their housing markets best, and this legislation gives localities the authority to act before displacement and homelessness worsen. We must continue to focus our efforts to address housing instability with proactive solutions, which is exactly what this bill does. Housing is a human right, and this legislation upholds that principle by putting people first by instituting more support to make rent more affordable.”
“New Yorkers are facing a housing crisis, and tenants throughout the State deserve real protections now to stay in our homes for years to come. The Rent Emergency Stabilization for Tenants Act (REST) empowers municipalities to act when vacancy rates are critically low, so that families are not left vulnerable to displacement and skyrocketing rents. In the City and State that never sleeps, tenants still deserve REST,” said Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest.
With the current economic crisis, tenants are struggling to stay afloat with rising costs of living. Rent stabilization and affordable rent allows New Yorkers to actually build their lives: start a family, put down roots, go back to school, start a business. The REST Act would help address the housing affordability crisis around the state by empowering Upstate localities and communities to adopt rent stabilization and protect tenants. Rent stabilization protects tenants from excessive rent hikes by setting reasonable annual limits on rent increases.
Right now, outdated state law makes it expensive and difficult for communities to adopt rent stabilization – and when they try, landlords sue to overturn the protection. Cities like Kingston, Poughkeepsie, Albany, Newburgh, and Nyack have all been blocked from protecting their tenants. The REST Act would clear away legal barriers and shield cities from frivolous landlord lawsuits.
The REST Act would modernize the Emergency Tenant Protection Act (ETPA) in three key ways:
- By allowing municipalities to utilize public data to determine a housing emergency exists and opt in to ETPA without onerous vacancy study requirements.
- By bringing buildings constructed 15 years ago into rent stabilization on a rolling basis.
- By giving municipalities control to adjust the size of buildings that are covered by rent stabilization to as small as 4 units.
A recent Community Service Society (CSS) report showed that New Yorkers in every region of the state are facing a housing crisis. It profiled six Upstate cities – Albany, Buffalo, Ithaca, Kingston, Rochester, and Syracuse, where the majority of tenants are rent-burdened (spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs) or severely rent-burdened (spending 50% or more).
Housing affordability has become a defining issue for voters – statewide polling shows an overwhelming majority of voters, 68%, would be more likely to support a candidate who backs rent stabilization.