Bill Would Require Landlords to Inform Tenants of Rent Subsidies
Thousands of seniors soon won’t have an excuse for not taking advantage of one of the best deals in town: a program that offers millions of dollars in rent subsidies.
City Councilwoman Margaret Chin (D-Manhattan) is introducing a bill Wednesday that will require landlords to notify tenants about the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption program, in which the city pays rent increases of seniors who earn less than $50,000 a year, live in rent-regulated apartments and spend at least a third of their income on rent.
“With this direct outreach to senior and disabled tenants, I know we will be able to increase enrollment so these tenants can finally get the life-changing rent freeze that they are already eligible to receive,” she said.
Last year, Chin sponsored and helped pass a bill that expanded SCRIE by raising the maximum income threshold from $29,000 to $50,000. Despite the dramatic shift, only about 61,000 households of the 155,000 eligible are signed up, officials said.
Advocates said the notices — which will be delivered along with new leases — should make a big difference.
“They are not going to see this online, a lot of them. Many seniors are online, but many are not,” said Bobbie Sackman, public policy director at Live On NY, which advocates for affordable senior housing.
“This way they can see that this is a legitimate program in that A, it exists, and B, even if they don’t have a great relationship with their landlord, they can still pursue this,” she added.
This article originally appeared on NYPost.com
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