Mayor Steven Noble has announced legislation for enacting Good Cause Eviction in the City of Kingston, a move which would give tenants a right to lease renewal and would protect against predatory rent increases and evictions without an order from a judge.
During a press conference held on Wednesday, September 1, Noble said that the housing situation in a booming market combined with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic made the law necessary.
“At a time when we are in the midst of both a housing crisis and an ongoing global pandemic, we believe that passing Good Cause Eviction will not only help protect tenants, it will be beneficial for our city, homeowners and neighborhoods, and good landlords as well,” Noble said. “Everyone deserves a safe, secure place to live, and Good Cause Eviction gives tenants the power to demand safe living conditions without fear of retaliation. We know that housing instability has profound effects on a person’s well-being, including physical and mental health, academic success and gainful employment. This legislation would be one step in helping everyone in our community have adequate housing.”
Noble was joined at the press conference by Common Council President Andrea Shaut; alderpersons Jeffrey Ventura Morell (Ward 1), Reynolds Scott-Childress (Ward 3), and Michele Hirsch (Ward 9); and community groups Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson, Real Kingston Tenants Union/Ulster County Coalition for Housing Justice and Citizen Action.
The proposed legislation was intended to be presented to the Common Council’s Laws & Rules Committee on Wednesday, September 15, but the meeting was canceled because it fell upon the night of Yom Kippur. The Common Council held its regular meeting one week earlier, and though Good Cause Eviction wasn’t discussed by the council, it was on the minds of members of the public, with several speakers supporting the proposed law.
Community groups approve
“Good cause” evictions are identified in the legislation as failure to pay rent, violating terms of a lease, causing a nuisance, violation of the law, or if the owner is selling the building.
“All tenants in Kingston live in precarious conditions,” Scott-Childress said at the September 1 press conference. “They can lose their homes in the blink of an eye. They face the possibility of eviction on a landlord’s whim. They face the possibility of unconscionable rent increases that can leave them homeless. The common-sense legislation we propose here today provides a reasonable set of guidelines that clarify the relations between tenants and landlords. Landlords have a grave responsibility that sets them apart from most providers of services and goods. They provide not just housing, but homes. This legislation ensures that tenants can feel confident that, so long as they do their duty as renters, they will be secure in their homes.”
The proposed legislation has proven popular with community groups and some local residents as well.
“Every day, we speak to members of this community who face the constant fear of housing insecurity: skyrocketing rental prices, predatory landlords, and the threat of evictions looming large,” said Brahvan Ranga of Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson. “Mayor Noble and these members of the Common Council have courageously taken an important first step to combat the housing crisis, and affirm fundamental rights for tenants in Kingston, by introducing Good Cause Eviction.”
Rashida Tyler of the Real Kingston Tenants Union and the Ulster County Coalition for Housing Justice said, “Good Cause eviction legislation will help keep many Kingston residents in their homes, and stem the tide of displacement that has only deepened the pandemic began. There are many tenants throughout the city who are at risk of eviction despite paying their rent on time and being exemplary tenants. We need Good Cause Eviction legislation to help provide stability for our community.”
A stable mix
Jennifer O’Donnell is a property owner in support of Good Cause Eviction. “I am a landlord who lives in Downtown Kingston, which has become extremely popular,” said O’Donnell. “And as you know, the real estate has gotten very hot in Kingston. And I’m here to speak to you about the putting forth of the Good Cause Eviction law that I know you’re looking at. I think it’s very important that you’re doing that. I am in fact a landlord, but also a small business owner and a parent and a taxpayer in the City of Kingston…I think it’s a very important thing that we maintain a stable, healthy mix of housing that is affordable, especially for families of color.”
Pat Pellicano, a renter in the fourth ward, said that Good Cause Eviction would provide much-needed housing stability in an otherwise booming market where landlords might succumb to the temptation of demand from renters moving from New York City where they’re accustomed to paying higher rents.
“I’m not a lord of any land,” Pellicano said. “I, like many in my generation, I don’t know when I’ll be able to own anything. Um, just given the way that we’ve been saddled with debt. So having even just a small piece of legislation to protect us from, you know, this dark cloud of…if my landlord wants to just jack up my rent, because he can make a buck off of incoming New York city dwellers. Up until now, that’s possible. And I’ve had a lot of friends that have been forced out of their own homes too because of that exact reason.”
Good Cause Eviction is expected to be discussed by the Common Council’s Laws & Rules Committee when they next meet on Wednesday, October 20. The next regular meeting of the Common Council, which will be held remotely, is scheduled for Tuesday, October 5.
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