Rent law change proposed

The state’s Division of Housing and Community Renewal will hear a proposal for the Rent Stabilization Law that would give landlords greater leverage to evict tenants in rent-stabilized apartments by promising to demolish the building. Tenant advocates want “demolition” to be defined in the provision so that landlords cannot use it to evict tenants and then not demolish the building. This comes shortly after a media frenzy surrounding elected officials with rent-stabilized units and the city council’s push to restructure the Rent Guidelines Board.