ALBANY – The state’s Democratic Assembly majority is rolling out a package of bills to bolster rent-control laws.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has long pushed the issue, but now Democrats control the Senate for the first time in 43 years. That, combined with a Democratic governor, could get Silver the support he has sought.
Among the proposals the Assembly will introduce to strengthen rent-control are:
* Limiting the amount landlords are allowed to hike rents after a vacancy from the current 20 percent to 10 percent. That proposal would also allow for just one rent increase per year.
* Making it more difficult for owners of buildings to take over a rent-controlled apartment for personal use, offering more protections to tenants.
* Requiring landlords to give tenants in rent-controlled apartments more time to pay rent surcharges that result from repairs or improvements.