New York renters hit by COVID couldn't be evicted until Jan. 15, 2022

If you rented in New York and lost income during the pandemic, this law let you stop most eviction cases through Jan. 15, 2022. You filed a hardship declaration with your landlord or the court. A landlord who doubted the hardship could ask a judge for a hearing. Tenants who caused safety hazards or damaged property on purpose could still be evicted. Homeowners and small landlords with 10 or fewer homes could use the same kind of declaration to stop a foreclosure, and so could small businesses with 100 or fewer workers.

A companion budget law added $150 million to an existing fund, bringing it to $250 million. It initially divided that fund in half: up to $125 million for renters earning more than 80% and up to 120% of area median income, and up to $125 million for qualifying landlords whose tenants would not cooperate or had moved out. It also set aside $25 million in federal funds for eviction legal services, prioritizing areas without free help. Rent-relief applicants were protected from eviction while their applications were pending.

Sen. Brian Kavanagh and Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz carried the bill. The U.S. Supreme Court had blocked part of the state’s old moratorium, so Gov. Kathy Hochul called lawmakers back for a special session. Lawmakers passed the bill on Sept. 1, 2021, 38–19 in the Senate and 81–60 in the Assembly, and Hochul signed it the next day. The protections expired on Jan. 15, 2022.