This bill would give many tenants up to 6 months to remain in an apartment without a meaningful risk of removal, even after a court judgment has been entered. The bill fails to recognize that landlords also have financial obligations that do not disappear simply because rent goes unpaid. Property owners must still pay mortgages, property taxes, insurance, utilities, and maintenance costs regardless of whether rent is being collected. By preventing landlords from enforcing lease agreements for nearly half the year, this bill effectively forces property owners to subsidize housing with no guarantee of repayment. In addition, across New York State, thousands of rental units are owned by individuals and families who depend on rental income to cover their costs. These are not large corporations with unlimited resources; they are retirees renting out a second unit, working families who invested in a duplex, or homeowners relying on rental income to offset rising expenses. For these small property owners, a tenant who stops paying rent for six months can mean financial devastation.
