District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. has expressed support for the tenant protection Bill S8559 as a response to the housing situation in Manhattan. In an op-ed for City and State, Bragg outlined challenges facing New York tenants, including rising rents and limited affordable housing, and urged the New York State Legislature to take action. In a press release, he stated that Manhattan’s housing shortage contributes to difficulties in finding safe, affordable homes, as well as to incidents of fraud, scams, and harassment.
D.A. Bragg highlighted cases handled by his office involving various housing-related crimes, including rental scams, landlord harassment, and deed fraud, illustrating ongoing challenges in the housing sector. Three years ago, the Manhattan D.A.'s office established the Housing and Tenant Protection Unit to address these issues. Bragg stated that while the office prosecutes individuals engaging in such conduct, additional legislation could enhance criminal penalties and provide new tools to address harassment of rent-regulated tenants.
The bill proposes classifying aggravated harassment of a rent-regulated tenant as a class D felony. This would address a current gap in which the scale of harassment does not affect the severity of the charge. Bragg explained that under existing law, penalties are the same regardless of whether harassment affects a few tenants in a single building or multiple tenants across several properties, with all cases currently charged as a class E felony. The proposed legislation would create a legal framework that reflects the scope of these offenses more accurately.
The proposed legislation also introduces increased penalties for repeat offenders. Individuals who engage in a systematic, ongoing course of conduct across multiple properties could be charged with a class D felony. Additionally, the legislation allows prosecutors to charge a class D felony if a person with a prior history of tenant harassment commits the offense again.
D.A. Bragg emphasized the need for legislative action to address unlawful landlord practices and protect tenant rights. He stated that the passage of S8559 would provide additional support to the Housing and Tenant Protection Unit in holding landlords accountable and maintaining safe housing conditions.
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