It’s been nearly eight months since Syracuse Common Councilors rejected Good Cause Eviction legislation and it hasn’t come up for discussion since. While rent has stabilized after recent spikes, other costs of living have continued to rise for struggling families.
About six in ten Syracuse residents are tenants, and they pay about $1,500 a month to rent a two-bedroom apartment. Many families are vulnerable if landlords decide to arbitrarily hike the rent.
“There are thousands of people in Syracuse that have been impacted because good cause eviction has not been the law of the land here," said councilor Hanah Ehrenreich. She sponsored the measure that was voted down in February. It allows the city to opt-in to state legislation that requires landlords provide a specific cause to evict a tenant. She said the law only applies to people in good standing.
“It doesn't apply to nuisance tenants. It doesn't apply to anyone who has broken any facet of their lease. It doesn't apply to people who aren't paying. It doesn't apply to people who've set fire to the house that they don't own or trashed it or have 12 million people living with them," Ehrenreich said. "Those people, landlords have to go through normal eviction procedures.”
Many tenants are often forced to live in substandard conditions because they’re afraid to call code enforcement for serious violations including vermin or lack of heat and hot water. Executive Director of CNY Fair Housing Sally Santangelo said Good Cause protects them.
“They're either outright being threatened with eviction, or it's being implied that they will be evicted, or that their housing provider will just simply non-renew their lease and they'll have absolutely no option to remain in their home," she said. "And especially for those tenants who are fighting to improve their housing conditions, those tenants are really at risk.”
She said one of the biggest weaknesses in code enforcement is that tenants don't have a right to remain in their housing. As a result, Santangelo said people move frequently...as many as 25 percent every year in Syracuse. This creates uncertainty and instability for families.
"It makes it difficult for kids to be successful in school. It makes it difficult for people to maintain employment," she said.
"And if we want to see people succeed in our community, they need to know that they're going to have a place to live."
Opponents say Good Cause discourages investment in rental properties that could stabilize neighborhoods in some cases.
The future of the legislation is unclear. Either a revised version has to be introduced by Ehrenreich or the same measure would have to be reintroduced by a councilor who voted against it.
