Housing reform lobbying intensifies in Albany

The New York City real estate industry was rocked earlier this month by
a court order that could require the owners of Stuyvesant Town to give
back $200 million in rent to tenants. Now, a package of 10 housing
bills addressing everything from rent regulation to landlord harassment
is being considered in Albany. Michael McKee from the Tenants Political
Action Committee said that with the Democrats in control of the state
legislature, advocates are hopeful that they’ll see “significant
change” on housing issues. But he added: “We are not taking anything
for granted, we know we have a lot of work to do … and we are going
to die trying if that’s what it takes.” The president of REBNY, Steve
Spinola, said he is “optimistic” that lawmakers will “recognize that
this would hurt housing and hurt the constituents that they represent.”
On this week’s Webcast, The Real Deal’s Jen Benepe talks to
both Spinola and McKee about their opposing views. Click on the link to the right to watch the full
Webcast, and see below for a summary of the bills.

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