The current Attorney General Letitia James continued her predecessor’s efforts to ensure the passage of Tenant Protection Act, which sets a more reasonable evidentiary standard. It eliminates the need to prove a physical injury to prosecute a landlord for intentionally harassing a tenant using insidious tactics such intentionally turning off heat and hot water.
Tenant Protection Act will hold unscrupulous landlord accountable
In a statement, AG James said, “For far too long, unscrupulous landlords have gotten away with subjecting rent-regulated tenants to dangerous and horrific conditions in an attempt to force them out of their homes.”
“The landlords behind these serious acts of tenant harassment have been able to evade justice because the standard for proving criminal culpability has been impossibly high – today that begins to change. This bill will go a long way in protecting our most vulnerable tenants… I thank Senator Krueger and the Legislature for their partnership on this action to support tenants and ensure bad actors are held accountable,” added AG James.
