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ALBANY — This isn’t your everyday landlord-tenant dispute.
Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos for the first time raised the threat of a high-noon showdown over the state’s soon-to-expire rent laws, as he rejected all but the most basic renewal of current tenant protections yesterday.
The surprisingly hard-line stance from Skelos surprised Cuomo administration insiders and raised the likelihood of a standoff — jeopardizing stabilized rents for more than 1 million Big Apple housing units — when current regulations expire June 15.
The Republican Senate leader not only opposed cost-of-living increases to the rent and income thresholds at which units lose price controls — which Gov. Cuomo wanted — but he also ruled out calls to include a renewal of rent regulations in the looming budget deal.
“I’m open to extending rent regulations,” Skelos (R-LI) told reporters before rejecting any hike to the 14-year-old “luxury decontrol” thresholds, explaining, “That would be an expansion.”
Meanwhile, State Police arrested 33 demonstrators — protesting cuts to school aid — in the hall outside Cuomo’s office. They were charged with disorderly conduct for refusing to move away from the stairway in front of the office.
Also, a dozen city lawmakers gathered before a legislative session yesterday to call for immediate action on the rent regulations.
“Such an important issue must be done early this year,” said Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal (D- Manhattan).
“Not under the cover of the night at 11:30 on June 14 in a smoke-filled room when the tenants get a take-it-or-leave-it bill.”
A similar standoff with Republicans forced Democrats in 1997 to accept “vacancy” and “luxury” decontrol, which allow landlords to escape price regulations when monthly rents exceed $2,000 and tenants earn more than $175,000 annually.
City Democrats, led by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan), have demanded the repeal of both laws, which they blame for helping to remove 13,500 units from the rent-regulation system in 2009 alone.
Cuomo hopes, at the very minimum, to raise the thresholds to reflect inflation since the statues went into law, administration sources said.