Evans to sign Good Cause into law

Rochester Mayor Malik Evans announced plans to sign Good Cause legislation after a public hearing Friday. It marks the culmination of efforts from housing advocates to secure eviction protections for the city’s tenants.

Evans returned to City Council to hear final input from the public before signing the bill into law. 

Rochester’s Good Cause law mandates landlords with multiple properties in New York demonstrate “good cause” in housing court before evicting tenants or choosing not to renew a lease in Rochester. Additionally, it effectively sets a soft limit on rent increases by excluding nonpayment of rent following an “unreasonable” hike from the eight Good Cause criteria outlined in the legislation.

The bill was introduced last June and spent six months in the Neighborhood, Jobs, and Housing committee before passing 7-2 in December. Called a strong version, the bill exempts small landlords with one property. While Rochester’s implementation had originally featured a small landlord exemption of under 10 units, a November report released by City Council recommended such changes, which were codified during December’s vote.

While the impending enactment of Good Cause signals victory for its advocates, questions remain. Some expect the courts to be inundated with cases. Others are curious about the implications for landlords when it comes to tenant agreements.

Evans stressed the responsibility of the courts to smooth the interpretation of the regulations moving forward.

“I think that we will have to see how this all plays out,” Evans says. “There’s some questions that some people still have about this law, but I think that the courts are going to be very busy in terms of sorting out the rules and regulations, (and) all of these disputes will be adjudicated in the court of law.”

The law also comes with disclosure requirements mandating landlords inform tenants when Good Cause protections apply to them. Lisle Coleman, a tenant organizer with City-Wide Tenant Union, says she also intends to make sure people understand their rights.

“It is much more possible to stand up for your rights when you’re not afraid of being hit with a retaliatory eviction,” she says.

“Now that we have some of the basic rights of Good Cause, it’s time to look at more continually permanent solutions,” Coleman adds. “We don’t want to just get people into more shelters. We want people in safe, affordable, beautiful, permanent homes.”

Narm Nathan is a former Rochester Beacon intern, a senior at the University of Rochester and a member of the Beacon Oasis Project’s inaugural cohort. The Beacon welcomes comments and letters from readers who adhere to our comment policy including use of their full, real name. See “Leave a Reply” below to discuss on this post. Comments of a general nature may be submitted to the Letters page by emailing  [email protected].