Amd §§26-1301 & 26-1303, NYC Ad Cd; add §§703 & 770-a, RPAP L
Provides that any small property owner that owns twenty units or less shall be entitled to free legal services if such small property owner can prove a loss of at least twenty percent of rent payments in a calendar year; defines "small property owner" as any lessor in a residential real property transaction, and includes an owner of twenty units or less who lists residential real property for lease with an agent, whether or not a lease results, or who receives an offer to lease twenty units of residential real property or less.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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127
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE(Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Cities 1
AN ACT to amend the administrative code of the city of New York and the
real property actions and proceedings law, in relation to granting
legal services to small property owners
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 26-1301 of the administrative code of the city of
2 New York, as added by local law number 136 for the year 2017, is amended
3 by adding a twelfth undesignated paragraph to read as follows:
4 "Small property owner" shall mean any lessor in a residential real
5 property transaction, and includes an owner of twenty units or less who
6 lists residential real property for lease with an agent, whether or not
7 a lease results, or who receives an offer to lease twenty units of resi-
8 dential real property or less in the city of New York.
9 § 2. Section 26-1303 of the administrative code of the city of New
10 York is amended by adding a new subdivision e to read as follows:
11 e. Any small property owner shall be entitled to free legal services
12 if such small property owner can prove a loss of at least twenty percent
13 of rent payments in a calendar year.
14 § 3. The real property actions and proceedings law is amended by
15 adding a new section 703 to read as follows:
16 § 703. Small property owner; legal services. Any small property owner
17 shall be entitled to free legal services if such small property owner
18 can prove a loss of at least twenty percent of rent payments in a calen-
19 dar year. For the purposes of this section, "small property owner"
20 shall mean any lessor in a residential real property transaction, and
21 includes an owner of twenty units or less who lists residential real
22 property for lease with an agent, whether or not a lease results, or who
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00712-01-5
S. 127 2
1 receives an offer to lease twenty units of residential real property or
2 less.
3 § 4. The real property actions and proceedings law is amended by
4 adding a new section 770-a to read as follows:
5 § 770-a. Small property owner; legal services. Any small property
6 owner shall be entitled to free legal services if such small property
7 owner can prove a loss of at least twenty percent of rent payments in a
8 calendar year. For the purposes of this section, "small property owner"
9 shall mean any lessor in a residential real property transaction, and
10 includes an owner of twenty units or less who lists residential real
11 property for lease with an agent, whether or not a lease results, or who
12 receives an offer to lease twenty units of residential real property or
13 less.
14 § 5. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
15 have become a law.
