Attorney General James On Passage Of Tenant Harassment Bill

NEW YORK – In response to the New York State Senate’s passage of the Attorney General's legislation to criminalize landlord harassment of rent-regulated tenants, Attorney General Letitia James released the following statement:

“For far too long, unscrupulous landlords have gotten away with subjecting rent-regulated tenants to dangerous and horrific conditions in an attempt to force them out of their homes. From exposing residents to hazardous materials, to making buildings deliberately uninhabitable, to shutting off heat and hot water, the landlords behind these serious acts of tenant harassment have been able to evade justice because the standard for proving criminal culpability has been impossibly high. Today that begins to change. This bill will go a long way in protecting our most vulnerable tenants by changing the legal standard of harassment and allowing prosecutors to finally pursue these acts that have hurt countless New Yorkers. I thank the Legislature for their partnership on this action to support tenants and ensure bad actors are held accountable.”