Orgs That Help Tenants Sue Landlords Fear ‘Tone Deaf’ City Contract Changes
Nonprofit legal service providers often file group lawsuits that assist tenants fighting landlord harassment across an entire building. But a new city solicitation appears to impose limits on this preferred strategy for winning repairs and rent reductions.
The scope of work for future contracts under the 2016 Anti-Harassment Tenant Protection (AHTP) program appears to limit group cases to 15 percent of overall legal services. Group cases are impactful, providers say, as they can help an entire building’s worth of tenants in one go.
“It’s way more efficient and effective and actually will change landlord behavior,” said Keriann Pauls, director of coalitions and resource management at TakeRoot Justice. “You can file one case on behalf of one tenant about their cooking gas being shut off, but how much impact is that having with the landlord?”
City Limits’ local, investigative journalism has informed and empowered New Yorkers for 46 years. Your generous donation will enable us to keep looking out for New York’s most vulnerable.
Will you support our independent journalism today?
