Mayor Bill de Blasio signed three bills Thursday that make it tougher for landlords to harass tenants with unscrupulous buyout offers.
The bills were created in response to numerous cases in which an apartment owner would be forced out after their landlord would coerce them into taking an offer to leave. In many instances, those tenants can’t find new homes in their budget and the landlord raises the apartment’s rent.
“There is no room in our city for these ruthless tactics,” de Blasio said.
The laws, which go into effect in 90 days, require apartment owners to provide their renters with information on their rights, such as an attorney, when offering a buyout and another makes it illegal for a landlord to threaten a tenant over a buyout.
The third law, sponsored by City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, makes it illegal for a landlord to make a buyout offer within 180 days of a tenant refusing one in writing.
“Too many residents live in fear and for too long those tenants have little resources,” she said.
