RE: Testimony of the New York Apartment Association to the NYC Council Committee on Housing and Buildings on Int. 791 and Int. 1232.
This testimony is submitted on behalf of the New York Apartment Association (NYAA), whose members own and operate more than half a million rent-stabilized apartments throughout New York City. NYAA members are long-term owners and operators of multifamily rental housing, most of which was constructed before 1974 and which do not receive any government subsidy in exchange for being subject to rent stabilization. These buildings are maintained without public financing or tax abatements and provide below-market rental housing through private investment and stewardship at no additional cost to the government. Many of our members rent to households with individual subsidies, shelter allowances, and other rental assistance and engage with the Department of Social Services (DSS) often. We thank Chair Ayala and the Committee for giving us the opportunity to testify on behalf of our members.
Testimony in Support of Int. 791
The New York Apartment Association supports Int. 791, which would require DSS to post on its website data concerning vacant supportive housing units, including the total number and percentage of all supportive housing units in the city that are vacant as well as the number of vacant units at different stages in the placement process. This bill is a step in the right direction toward improving transparency, reducing inefficiencies in the placement process, and learning more about the utilization of the city's existing supportive housing resources. Homeowners and property managers commonly find units in supportive housing empty for extended periods of time, not due to a lack of need, but due to delays in referrals, eligibility determinations, or coordination among agencies. Often housing providers spend months working through the leasing process only to find out that the prospective tenant has leased a different unit, which then requires the housing provider to restart the months-long leasing process with a new prospective tenant. The delays represent a missed opportunity to house vulnerable individuals, but also create financial and operational challenges for property owners committed to providing these units. By making the number and status of vacant supportive housing openly available online, this bill would allow for greater visibility into the systemic issues resulting in long term vacancies for this vital category of rental housing. It can streamline placement timelines and improve coordination between agencies, housing providers, and other stakeholders. Any publicly available information must be careful not to violate any individual privacy, which can be accomplished by removing any detailed information about the unit address or the potential tenant. We believe that any privacy concerns can be properly resolved in order to increase access to information that would ultimately support more efficient housing placements, increased accountability, and better outcomes for tenants and providers. While the details of implementation will be important, especially to ensure the data is meaningful and actionable, the overall direction of this legislation aligns with broader goals of maximizing the use of existing housing stock.
Testimony Supporting the Intent of Int. 1232
Int. 1232 would require the Human Resources Administration (HRA) to notify both tenants and property owners or their managing agents when an Emergency Assistance Grant is approved. We appreciate the Council’s effort to increase transparency and improve communication around rental assistance awards, and therefore we support this legislation and hope to see future bills that improve communications between housing providers and government agencies regarding rental subsidies and grants. Too often, property owners are not aware of the status of rental assistance applications, which can cause confusion and unnecessary conflict between housing providers and their tenants. An automated notification associated with each step of the rental assistance grant application process, if implemented effectively, would improve relationships between housing providers and tenants, reduce miscommunications between parties, and improve housing stability for tenants. To ensure the notice requirement is truly effective, we recommend that the bill also include a provision that requires the housing provider or managing agent’s contact information be included on the assistance application. Without this, the usefulness of the notification requirement will be limited. We also encourage the Council to look at ways to allow housing providers to initiate applications and provide information on behalf of their tenants to improve application processing timelines and ensure eligible applicants are not denied based on the failure to provide required documentation.
We thank CM Restler for the introduction of Int. 791 and CM Banks for the introduction of Int. 1293