"Both city and state governments must extend their efforts beyond the final budget deal, recognizing that tenants' well-being is intertwined with the physical and financial stability of their homes and addressing root causes rather than assigning blame."
As state lawmakers debate how best to address New York’s dual housing and homelessness crises, tenant advocates are keeping a wary eye on proposals they say would undermine landmark 2019 protections for renters in stabilized apartments.
The latest vacancy data now mirrors pre-COVID figures following a “pandemic-height outlier," according to New York State's affordable housing agency. The number of empty apartments also matches the vacancy rate prior to landmark 2019 tenant protections that landlords blamed for the spike in empty units last year.