New York, NY – Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal (D/WF-Manhattan) today blasted the Rent Stabilization Association (RSA) of New York for filing a frivolous lawsuit against New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) and the Tenant Protection Unit (TPU), which has been responsible for the re-regulation of nearly 30,000 units of illegally deregulated affordable housing in the last two years.

“The smallest violin is playing for the landlords, who think their constitutional rights are ‘being trampled,’” said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal. “As I review the case files of tenants in my district who have come to me for assistance because of constant, spurious harassment, lack of repairs and sky-high MCI charges improperly and illegally levied, I can only laugh at landlords’ allegations that their rights are being trampled on.”

“This lawsuit merely confirms for the public what tenant advocates have always known: landlords are concerned with their bottom lines only, and not with creating an equitable rent-regulation system that ensures affordable rents and reasonable profits. I am disgusted, though sadly not surprised, by the RSA for fighting a legitimate effort to fix a broken system that has been unfairly tipped in the favor of landlords for years,” said Assemblymember Rosenthal.

In January 2014, HCR enacted amendments to the rent regulations that codified existing case law on exceptions to a four-year statute of limitations in administrative proceedings, formalized TPU’s operation as a distinct unit and tweaked other agency procedures. TPU has audited landlord records for apartments that have not been registered without any explanation, and has successfully re-regulated tens of thousands of illegally deregulated apartments. The lawsuit challenges the exceptions to the four-year statute of limitations despite the many court decisions affirming its validity.

In addition to pushing for proactive enforcement and rent-regulation reform by HCR, Assemblymember Rosenthal is the sponsor of numerous bills to bring much-needed reform to State rent regulations, including repealing vacancy decontrol (A.1585), overhauling rent-control (A.7881) and reforming the rules for Major Capital Improvements (A.5865 and A.699).