Queens officials outline tenant options as evictions loom
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Queens Borough President Donovan Richards hosted a forum for tenants at risk of eviction Wednesday. Photo by John McCarten/City Council
By Rachel Vick
Officials from various city agencies and nonprofit legal providers joined Borough President Donovan Richards Wednesday to discuss tenant rights and resources with the end of a state eviction moratorium looming
Representatives from the New York State Office of the Attorney General, Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, the Office of Civil Justice, the Legal Aid Society, New York Legal Assistance Group and Housing Court Answers walked virtual meeting attendees through resources to help renters navigate the COVID-19 Emergency Foreclosure Prevention Act.
The state law allows tenants to delay eviction until May by submitting a hardship form. But they must do so by Feb. 26.
“If you're fighting any legal battles or landlords do not go it alone,” Richards said. “There are organizations that are reputable and do great work each and every day who you should work with and contact so you ‘re not going against the system alone — that’s the one thing I want you to remember.”
Tenants who believe they are at risk of being evicted need to file financial hardship forms in order to stay eviction proceedings until May 1. Landlords are required to provide the form to tenants in the language they speak before filing a new eviction case or pursuing an existing case.
There are similar protections for independent landlords who control ten units or less and are facing crushing mortgages as tenants struggle to make rent, and the hardship form must be filed with the lender.
An online portal from the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants was designed as a “one stop shop” for landlord-tenant issues, with a quiz designed to direct users to the information they need and up to date information all in one place, said Special Assistant Juan Venero.
Evictions have steadily declined since 2013 but all the pre pandemic data feels like “ancient history,” said Jordan Dressler, the agency’s civil justice coordinator.
“We learned that if we work together and stand in close partnership with legal service providers and the courts to make sure we were implementing legal services on the ground, in the community and in court, then we could have an impact and ensure that tenants in need of legal services … could get them,” Dressler added.
The bottom line?
“It almost doesn't matter what type of housing you live in,” said panel moderator Sateesh Nori, the head of Legal Aid’s Queens Housing Court practice. “If you're renting from someone, or a corporation or the landlord lives upstairs, they still have an obligation to make sure your home is safe, healthy, and habitable.”
The hardship declaration form for tenants is available online through justfix.com and evictionfreeny.org. A hotline is available through 311 under “Tenant Helpline” to help renters navigate the specifics of leases, evictions and emergency repairs.
