Last week Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill into law, which requires judges to set a 60-day deadline for landlords making court-ordered repairs.
The proposal was first made after an apartment fire in 2002. An 8-year-old died, and tenants had previously complained about a lack of repairs to the property.
The bill was sponsored by Senator Robert Jackson and Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz. There’s a provision that allows extensions to be granted if landlords can show ‘good cause’.
“This law will not bring back the life of that young child, but it will hopefully prevent harm for countless others in years to come. I have no patience for any landlord who claims this will cause them financial harm – these are things that every property owner has an obligation to do, and it is only because of their continued negligence that tenants had to seek help from Housing Court at all. I am deeply appreciative of State Senator Jackson for his longtime support of my bill, and thank you to Governor Cuomo for signing this legislation into law,” Assemblyman Dinowitz said.
The law takes hold next month.
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