Protest songs filled the hallways with demands to boost funding for Right to Counsel program — and pause eviction cases where attorneys are not assigned.
Housing Court
Posted inLegal Aid
Overwhelmed With Cases, Free Housing Lawyers Ask for Four Times the Funding
“We have nonprofits that are stretched too thin, and they are rejecting cases because they’re not getting the resources they need from the city,” said City Councilmember Shaun Abreu.
Posted inHousing
Harlem Tenants Ask Judge to Penalize Landlord of Building Rife With Rats and Leaks
The city’s housing agency is also suing, seeking to have heat and hot water restored to residents suffering multiple plagues.
Posted inHousing Court
Tenants’ Friday Night Plans: Testifying at Curiously Timed City Eviction Lawyer Hearing
At a time when most tenants in Housing Court lack an attorney, and lawyers are going on strike, official review of the ‘Right to Counsel’ law won’t start until the work week ends.
Posted inHow to New York
No Heat in Your NYC Apartment? Here’s What to Do Next
A lack of heat is illegal in the winter, according to city law. But tenants have to take action to push their landlord to crank up the temperature.
Posted inHousing Court
Less Than 10% of Tenants Facing Eviction Actually Got a Lawyer Last Month, Undermining ‘Right to Counsel’ Law
Over 17,000 tenants did not have legal counsel in Housing Court cases brought by their landlords this year, new state numbers show.
Posted inHousing
Dirty Deed: Queens Man Battles Eviction Despite Helping Fed Mortgage Fraud Case
Johnnie Jackson has lived in his family’s St. Albans home for most of his life and owned it for nearly 30 years. First a convicted mortgage scammer took it from him, now a bank is still trying to snatch the property.
Posted inTenants
‘Universal’ Counsel: Advocates Want to Nix Income Caps for Housing Court Help
More than 10% of people matched with a publicly funded attorney for housing cases made above the income limit once set for who could get a free lawyer. Advocates say it points to a need for free legal help beyond just the city’s poorest.
Posted inEvictions
When Private Equity Came Knocking, Bronx Renters Were Given Two Options: Buy or Get Out
Additional reporting by Ben Fractenberg Hundreds of tenants at eight Bronx and Manhattan co-op buildings are at-risk of eviction after a private equity firm announced last year that it would not renew their leases and instead sell the units. The tenants, many of whom are low-income families or retirees, were given the option to buy […]
Posted inHousing
Landlords Wage Crusade Against ‘Good Cause’ Anti-Eviction Bill
Additional reporting by Josefa Velasquez The real estate industry is pushing back on a state bill that would limit rent hikes and ensure lease renewals for over a million tenants — launching a house-to-house phone campaign to rally the public against the protections. A new group called Homeowners for an Affordable New York is calling city […]