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The DOB’s Boiler Unit oversees the installation and operation of New York City’s boilers. Owners are responsible for ensuring that their boilers operate safely and are in compliance with the Building Code and all related regulations. The boiler inspection cycle runs from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. And low-pressure boiler and high-pressure boiler internal and external inspections must be performed and filed with the DOB during this cycle.

The DHCR has modified the NYC Renewal Lease Form (RTP-8) to incorporate the requirements of Rent Guidelines Board Order #52. With the latest order, the city’s Rent Guidelines Board froze rents for rent-stabilized tenants with one-year leases. For two-year renewal leases, a 1 percent increase is allowed during the second year. (See “RGB Issues Rent Freeze Amid Pandemic<...

On June 15, the NYC Water Board held a public hearing concerning proposed rates and charges for the use of the city’s water and wastewater system. Ultimately, as a result of the economic turmoil caused by the pandemic, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) made a formal recommendation to make no change to rates effective July 1, and to continue billing customers at current water and wastewater rates. On June 19, the Water Board voted in favor of a rate ...

On May 14, when asked about canceling rent on WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer show, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson called for federal financial assistance to help struggling residents pay their rent. He noted that a cancellation of rent could further disrupt the city’s budget, which is in crisis.

On April 20, the DHCR updated Advisory Opinion 2020-2 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Guidance with respect to processing and other procedures affecting the Office of Rent Administration (ORA) and Tenant Protection Unit (TPU).

All agency matters that weren’t final as of March 13, 2020, are extended, for the purposes of filing submissions, until June 2, 2020. The DHCR will be re-examining the need to further extend these deadlines as the situation evolves.

On April 7, State Senators Brad Hoylman and Liz Krueger along with Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz introduced the “Tenant Safe Harbor Act,” which would prohibit owners from evicting tenants for nonpayment of rent during New York’s current state of emergency and for six months after its eventual end. The bill is intended to postpone the inevitable rise in eviction cases once the current statewide moratorium on evictions expires in mid-June.

On April 14, New York State Senator Brian Kavanagh, Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi, and over 200 state senators, Assembly members, City Council members, county executives, city-wide elected officials, tenant advocates, and owner organizations sent a letter to Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand along with the New York Congressional delegation. The group requested a substantial infusion of federal funds for rent subsidies.

Recently, a New York State judge temporarily blocked the state’s guidance that had effectively barred tenants from having to pay a broker fee. The judge’s order prevents legal action against brokers who collect a fee, until both sides can present their case on March 13, 2020.

City Comptroller Scott Stringer recently issued a policy brief calling for a “Tenant Bill of Rights” to be provided in every lease packet. He’s calling for legislation that would mandate this communication. Stringer believes current leases are confusing to tenants and can hide information due to fine print and obscure language. His solution is to incorporate with every lease a Bill of Rights that would serve as a reminder of the rights and expectations...

The de Blasio administration recently announced the expansion of free legal services to more New York residents facing eviction. This expansion represents the next phase in the right-to-counsel initiative, originally passed in 2017 by the City Council, which became the first-in-the-nation plan to provide guaranteed free legal representation to tenants facing eviction in housing court.