STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 868 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. ROSENTHAL -- read once and referred to the Committee on People with Disabilities AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to requiring super- vising state and city agencies to provide an informational notice to supportive housing tenants The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The social services law is amended by adding a new section 2 131-cc to read as follows: 3 § 131-cc. Supportive housing tenants; required informational notice. 4 1. For purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the 5 following meanings: 6 (a) "Dwelling unit" shall mean any building or structure or portion 7 thereof which is occupied in whole or in part as the home, residence or 8 sleeping place of one or more individuals. 9 (b) "Supervising agencies" shall mean all state and local agencies 10 that hold and/or oversee contracts for supportive housing, including but 11 not limited to the office of temporary and disability assistance, the 12 New York state office of mental health, the New York state department of 13 health, the New York state office of addiction services and supports, 14 the New York state office for people with developmental disabilities, 15 the New York city department of health and mental hygiene, the New York 16 city HIV/AIDS services administration, and the New York city human 17 resources administration. 18 (c) "Supportive housing" means affordable, permanent housing with 19 support services for tenants. 20 (d) "Tenant" means an individual occupying, or intending to occupy, a 21 dwelling unit for thirty consecutive days or more. 22 2. Supervising agencies shall be required to provide every supportive 23 housing tenant or potential tenant at the time of an applicant interview EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD02512-01-5
A. 868 2 1 to obtain housing, at the signing of an initial lease, at each lease 2 renewal and upon request at any time, a notice of tenant rights approved 3 by such supervising agency using plain and simple language. Such notice 4 shall be made available in English and in the primary language spoken by 5 the tenant or potential tenant. Such notice shall include, but not be 6 limited to, the following information: 7 (a) whether the dwelling unit is subject to state rent stabilization 8 laws or protections under article six-A of the real property law and if 9 not, the reason for exemption from such laws. For dwelling units that 10 are subject to state rent stabilization laws, such notice shall also 11 provide information on how to obtain a rent history from the division of 12 housing and community renewal; 13 (b) whether the dwelling unit is located in a building that is in 14 receipt of a tax exemption or abatement, including but not limited to 15 abatements or exemptions pursuant to sections four hundred twenty-one-a 16 or four hundred twenty-one-g of the real property tax law. If the build- 17 ing is in receipt of an exemption or abatement, the notice shall include 18 the abatement or exemption start and end dates; 19 (c) the tenant's right to bring special proceedings pursuant to arti- 20 cle seven of the real property actions and proceedings law, the require- 21 ment that any eviction of a tenant must be sought through a court 22 proceeding and any relevant phone numbers that a tenant may contact for 23 legal advice and possible legal representation; 24 (d) the tenant's right to enforce any applicable housing maintenance 25 codes, information concerning how to report violations of such codes and 26 contact information for the person or people responsible for maintaining 27 applicable housing maintenance code standards and responding to emergen- 28 cies; 29 (e) the tenant's right to request reasonable accommodations and the 30 process for requesting such accommodations, the right to be protected 31 against discrimination pursuant to article fifteen of the executive law 32 and any other applicable federal, state and local laws and the procedure 33 for reporting cases of discrimination to the New York state division of 34 human rights; 35 (f) the tenant's right to receipts for payments made in exchange for 36 occupancy pursuant to section two hundred thirty-five-e of the real 37 property law and the tenant's right to receive a copy on the overlease 38 if such housing provider is subleasing in addition to the sublease; 39 (g) the tenant's right to have family and/or additional occupants in a 40 dwelling unit pursuant to section two hundred thirty-five-f of the real 41 property law, the tenant's right to form, join or participate in a 42 tenant group pursuant to section two hundred thirty of the real property 43 law, and what constitutes as tenant harassment under section two hundred 44 thirty-five-d of the real property law; 45 (h) whether the dwelling unit is subject to 14 NYCRR section 595, and 46 if so, the tenant's rights pursuant to such section; 47 (i) the tenant's right to be free from harassment; 48 (j) the building's regulatory scheme, including: 49 (i) each funding stream used to provide social services, subsidize 50 rents, or underwrite the development of the dwelling unit or property 51 and the contact information for the agency affiliated with such funding 52 stream; 53 (ii) the name or names of the program or programs pursuant to which 54 the tenant is occupying the dwelling unit;
A. 868 3 1 (iii) the name of the agency administering the program and/or provid- 2 ing services or assistance pursuant to subparagraphs (i) and (ii) of 3 this paragraph; 4 (iv) the grievance policy or procedure to register and hear tenant 5 complaints; 6 (v) any applicable state, local or federal regulations; 7 (vi) contact information for the administering agency pursuant to 8 subparagraph (iii) of this paragraph; 9 (vii) the total rent, tenant rent and agency subsidy amounts; and 10 (viii) the manner in which rent shall be paid; 11 (k) the tenant's right to be provided access to legal services if 12 facing eviction in housing court and all other relevant tenant's rights 13 and procedures and agency resources for eviction prevention; 14 (l) any additional information related to tenant's rights provided in 15 writing or relayed orally to a supportive housing applicant during an 16 interview with such supervising agencies; and 17 (m) contact information for the appropriate supervising agencies for 18 tenants to submit complaints concerning violations of this section. 19 3. Supervising agencies shall receive, investigate, and respond to 20 complaints concerning violations of this section committed by housing 21 providers. All complaints and responses issued by the office shall be 22 posted on the office's website and shall include the date the complaint 23 was submitted, any results of the complaint, and the date of the conclu- 24 sion of any investigation resulting from the complaint. 25 4. The office of temporary and disability assistance, in collaboration 26 with supervising agencies, shall create an online portal and telephone 27 hotline where tenants can request an additional copy of such tenant's 28 bill of rights at any time. 29 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after 30 it shall have become a law.