“When the eviction moratorium was put in place 17 months ago, it was meant to mitigate the unforeseen challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure no one would be left homeless due to a pandemic-related loss of employment or income.

“Earlier this spring, I supported allocating $2.3 billion in federal and state relief funds to help both landlords and tenants. This money was intended to pay landlords back for the loss of income. The state has been unacceptably slow in getting this money to the people who need it: only 7.8% of the applications submitted from Saratoga County tenants/landlords have been paid out to-date, and 10% of applications from Washington County. Landlords have been covering expenses out of pocket for over a year and a half and should not be expected to be the sole protectors of this safety net. Many have suffered from a significant loss of income due to the lack of rent money and will be put in an even more difficult situation when property taxes come due next month.

“The moratorium has gone on long enough. In April, I opposed extending the eviction moratorium through today (Ch. 105 of 2021) and, in tomorrow’s special session of the Legislature, I will again vote against this legislation. We must work to restore balance in the housing market. Landlords should not be punished for the state's failure to distribute rent relief in an expeditious manner.”