AARP Applauds NYS Legislature for Extending Eviction & Foreclosure Moratoria

Bill Strikes Appropriate Balance; AARP Urges Governor to Sign

ALBANY, N.Y. – AARP New York State Director Beth Finkel issued the following statement today about the New York State Legislature’s passage of the COVID-19 Emergency Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention Act (S9114/A11181):

“Many New Yorkers continue to need protection against losing their homes for as long as the pandemic costs them their jobs and livelihoods, and therefore their ability to make rent or mortgage payments.

“AARP New York applauds the Senate and Assembly for extending the moratoria on eviction and foreclosures to May 2021.

“This bill strikes an appropriate balance by not only helping renters and homeowners but by protecting many landlords who face loss of needed income. It also protects renters over 65 who may face health consequences from losing their homes, and it requires localities to carry over Senior Citizens’ Homeowner Exemptions (SCHE) and Disabled Homeowner Exemptions (DHE) to the 2021 assessment roles at the same levels.

“This legislation would especially help New Yorkers of color, far too many of whose housing security has been imperiled; half of African American tenant households statewide had fallen behind on their rent early on in the pandemic, and COVID-19 has widened housing disparities by race and income.

“Those facts and many more are documented in AARP New York’s recent Disrupt Disparities 3.0 report, which recommended enactment of a number of bills similar to the one that passed today.

“This legislation is both common sense and compassionate, and AARP New York urges Governor Cuomo to sign it into law.

“We do urge the Legislature and Governor to consider a chapter amendment to bar negative credit reporting and discrimination against tenants based on their eviction and collection records during the pandemic, and to ensure not just renters but also homeowners who are over 65 or disabled can declare age or disability to prevent foreclosure.”

AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With nearly 38 million members and offices in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, AARP works to strengthen communities and advocate for what matters most to families with a focus on health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also works for individuals in the marketplace by sparking new solutions and allowing carefully chosen, high-quality products and services to carry the AARP name. As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the world’s largest circulation publications, AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media.