A COVID hardship form paused New York evictions and home foreclosures

This law let New Yorkers facing pandemic hardship delay losing their homes. A renter who signed a one-page declaration could stop most eviction cases from starting or moving forward. State courts offered the form in Spanish and other languages. Homeowners and small landlords with financial hardship who owned 10 or fewer residential units could file a similar form to pause a foreclosure or tax lien sale. Pending residential eviction and foreclosure cases initially stopped for at least 60 days. Eligible owners also got protection from related credit discrimination and negative reports. Rent, mortgage payments and taxes remained due.

It also generally carried each recipient’s 2020 senior or disabled homeowner property-tax exemption into 2021 without a new application. Assessors could require renewal in limited circumstances, but not an in-person filing.

Sen. Brian Kavanagh and Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz sponsored the bill; Sen. Zellnor Myrie cosponsored it. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie also credited Steven Cymbrowitz, Karines Reyes, Alicia Hyndman, Harvey Epstein and Sandy Galef with advocacy and work. The Legislature passed it Dec. 28, 2020, 40–21 in the Senate, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed it that day.

The protections first ran through May 1, 2021, and lawmakers extended them to Aug. 31. On Aug. 12, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked Part A, the eviction provisions, because landlords had no way to challenge a tenant’s declaration. Chapter 417 restored revised eviction protections with a court challenge process and continued eviction and foreclosure measures through Jan. 15, 2022, when the key provisions expired.