A Rochester City Council Committee has voted to put the so called "Good Cause" law on hold. Officially called the Eviction Reduction Law, it would prevent many evictions from rental properties in the city. The bill is not dead, but the City's lawyer, Linda Kingsley, says as written the measure would be found unconstitutional in court. That's partly because the state has jurisdiction in landlord-tenant issues under the constitution.
Kingley and her staff say a similar law is being contested in the courts in Albany...and if Rochester adopts the Good Cause law, city landlords will apply for a stay to block it. Kingsley says City Council needs to see how that Albany case turns out before acting on the law.
The law's primary sponsor, Council Vice-President Mary Lupien, says there's a need for the Good Cause law. She says 67 percent of city residents are renters. She and other supporters of the law say changes in Rochester's rental market due to low rental housing supply means some landlords have an incentive to evict tenants who are on month-by-month leases, so they can charge hundreds of dollars more for the same property.
Lupien and other supporters regretfully asked for the bill to be held in committee...saying they don't have five votes to approve it on City Council. The measure isn't dead; it could be brought back from committee and voted on if enough support can be found.