New York State Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal has introduced a bill that would fine landlords who bar rent-regulated tenants from using building amenities.
The measure would slap fines of as much as $25,000 on landlords who only allow market-rate tenants access to gyms, pools, playrooms, roof decks or free building shuttles, DNAinfo reported. The law would also bar landlords from raising rents until such violations are corrected.
The move comes on the heels of Stonehenge Village’s alleged rule permitting only market-rate tenants to use the building’s gym. Rent-regulated tenants make up 60 percent of The 160 West 97th Street building’s occupants, and Public Advocate Letitia James filed a complaint with the New york State Human Rights Division last month.
The Greystone at 212 West 91st Street and the Astor at 235 West 75th Street both also allegedly barred rent-regulated tenants from using their respective gyms, Rosenthal told DNAinfo. Representatives from both properties did not respond to DNAinfo’s requests for comment.
“This kind of discrimintation sends the message that rent-regulated tenants are second-class citizens, somehow not as good or deserving as market-rate tenants,” Rosenthal told the news site. [DNAinfo] — Julie Strickland