Bill Text: NY A05355 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Prohibits landlords from including additional services in a tenant's base rent; provides that additional services include cable television, internet services, and garage usage.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - referred to housing [A05355 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A05355-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          5355
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    February 11, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  M. of A. CYMBROWITZ, BARRON -- read once and referred to
          the Committee on Housing
        AN ACT to amend the real property law, in relation to prohibiting  land-
          lords from including additional services in a tenant's base rent
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. The real property law is amended by adding  a  new  section
     2  220-a to read as follows:
     3    §  220-a.  Base rent and nonessential services. 1. For the purposes of
     4  this section, "nonessential services" shall  include  cable  television,
     5  internet services and garage usage.
     6    2.  Landlords shall be prohibited from including nonessential services
     7  as a condition of leasing a dwelling in a primary written or oral  lease
     8  agreement.
     9    3.  Nonessential  services may be provided by landlords, if the tenant
    10  agrees to have such nonessential services. Any services provided in this
    11  manner and the terms of use shall be set forth  in  a  written  or  oral
    12  agreement,  which  shall  be a separate agreement from the primary lease
    13  agreement and shall not affect the validity or application of the prima-
    14  ry lease agreement.
    15    4. Any agreement provision contained in  a  lease  for  a  residential
    16  dwelling that requires payment for nonessential services as set forth in
    17  this section shall be void as contrary to public policy.
    18    5.  The  provisions  of this section shall not apply to buildings that
    19  contain less than three dwelling units.
    20    § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
    21  have  become a law, provided, however, that this act shall only apply to
    22  lease agreements signed on or after such effective date.
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD09544-01-9