NEW YORK—With rent regulation laws set to expire at midnight, Bay Ridge residents rallied outside state Sen. Marty Golden’s office yesterday to demand the strengthening of the existing rent laws and the repeal of an unpopular vacancy decontrol measure.
“I think that this is an important issue and that the rent laws need to be extended and strengthened, specifically getting rid of vacancy decontrol. That is one of the biggest things that’s hurting housing in New York today,” said Tom Murata, a Bay Ridge resident since 1981. According to Murata, Golden has been siding with the residents on extending the rent regulation laws while not getting specific as far as strengthening them.
As part of the Rent Regulation Reform Act of 1997, vacancy decontrol allows the city to drop all rent regulatory measures on housing units with monthly rental costs higher than $2,000. More than 300,000 apartments have been deregulated since 1997, according to Murata.
“I think that this is an important issue and that the rent laws need to be extended and strengthened, specifically getting rid of vacancy decontrol. That is one of the biggest things that’s hurting housing in New York today,” said Tom Murata, a Bay Ridge resident since 1981. According to Murata, Golden has been siding with the residents on extending the rent regulation laws while not getting specific as far as strengthening them.
As part of the Rent Regulation Reform Act of 1997, vacancy decontrol allows the city to drop all rent regulatory measures on housing units with monthly rental costs higher than $2,000. More than 300,000 apartments have been deregulated since 1997, according to Murata.
