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As homelessness in the city of Syracuse rises, Syracuse City Auditor Alexander Marion released a report outlining the implementation of New York state’s Good Cause Eviction Law, requiring reasonable cause for rent increase to combat evictions.

In central New York, 45% of people experiencing homelessness were previously living in a property where an eviction suit was brought against them or the leaseholder, the report states. The state’s Good Cause Eviction Law gives tenants in good standing a guaranteed right to a lease renewal, limits rent increases and requires landlords to demonstrate the tenant violated the lease agreement before evicting them.

The Syracuse City Common Council pushed its vote to opt into the law during its Tuesday meeting.

In other places where the law was implemented – including Albany, Kingston, Beacon, Ithaca, New Paltz, Poughkeepsie and Newburgh – cities have applied the law to a “one-unit threshold,” or landlords and LLCs that own at least one housing unit.

Nearly two out of three rental property-owning LLCs in Syracuse own just one property, so they would not be exempt from the law with this rule, according to a Tuesday afternoon press release from Marion’s office. He said Syracuse city officials can decide on a unit threshold and affordability percentage, but encouraged the city to choose the one-unit threshold and 345% affordability percentage like the other cities involved.

Marion’s report outlines a direct correlation between evictions and homelessness, citing data that showed an increase in homelessness since 2019 that coincided with a spike in evictions following the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Homeless and Housing Coalition of Central New York, homelessness in Syracuse has risen 63%, and family homelessness has risen 192%, since 2019.

Rents have also risen quickly, with prices increasing 22% from February 2023 to 2024. In January, data from Zillow showed Syracuse had one of the biggest rent cost increases in New York and the country with an 8.55% increase from January 2023, according to syracuse.com.

Multiple state and city officials have backed Marion’s report in statements of support, according to the release. Sal Curran, executive director of Central New York Volunteer Lawyers Project, said in Tuesday’s release that this law is “critical” for Syracuse to ensure stable and affordable housing.

“Good Cause will make sure that increases in rent are tied to reasonable landlord expenses and will make sure families are not being pushed out of their homes without cause. Evictions have serious consequences on our whole community,” Curran said in the release.

According to the report, more than 60% of Syracuse residents are renters. In Tuesday’s release, Onondaga County Legislator Maurice “Mo” Brown said there is an urgent need for stronger tenant protections in Syracuse. By adopting the Good Cause Eviction, the city can create a more fair housing market for the community, he said.

Sally Santangelo, executive director of CNY Fair Housing, said the law’s protections will give tenants the security of knowing they can advocate for better housing conditions without fear of retaliation.

“Good Cause lets good tenants remain good tenants,” Santangelo said in the release. “CNY Fair Housing hears all the time from people who fear that they will be evicted or that their lease will not be renewed if they try to enforce their housing rights.”

In Marion’s report, he recommended that, going forward, New York state pursue the statewide right to counsel for tenants’ legal representation in court, provide rental assistance to families facing non-payment evictions and strip landlords with excessive code violations of state professional licenses.

Published on October 17, 2024 at 1:56 am

Contact Roxanne: rmboychu@syr.edu