Video Transcript: Good Cause Eviction veto leaves Syracuse residents wondering what’s next.
Lauren Holdmeyer: It’s a debate that’s been plaguing the city of Syracuse for the last two years.
Genghis Khalid Muhammad (GKW): Good Cause is definitely going to be a plus to make it more difficult to put people on the street.
Holdmeyer: The proposal is called “Good Cause Eviction” – an amendment that aims to protect tenants like GKW from unnecessary eviction by their landlords.
Muhammad: You just can’t violate me and put me out because you want me to or you want to put me out and raise the rent. You can’t do that. You have to show that I’m actually a bad tenant.
Holdmeyer: But the proposal was vetoed by the Syracuse Common Council last month.
Donna Moore: That is why I vote “no.” Not because I oppose tenant protections, but because I believe major housing policy decisions must be grounded and verified.
Holdmeyer: Pushing struggling renters back to square one.
Muhammad: Homelessness is a crime against humanity and eviction equals homelessness. I was homeless myself, you know, in New York City for seven years. And, you know, I came off from being homeless to this building.
Holdmeyer: But on the other side, landlord Patricia Goodyear is content with the decision.
Patricia Goodyear: Good Cause is a one-size-fits-all legislation, and it doesn’t work, especially for our community.
Holdmeyer: Good Cause does more than just protect against eviction – it allows tenants to challenge rent increases. Multiple cities across New York state have already adopted it, including Albany, Rochester and Binghamton. Mayor Sharon Owens is pushing for the city to enact changes for renters, issuing the statement: “I remain committed to working with the Common Council, housing advocates and community members to address the urgent need for housing stability and affordability in Syracuse. Protecting tenants and ensuring fair treatment is essential to the health and equity of our city.” But landlords say Good Cause isn’t how Syracuse will accomplish that.
Holdmeyer: So basically, you’re saying there’s no point in passing Good Cause because the protections it’s trying to put in place for the tenants pretty much already exists?
Goodyear: They do.
Holdmeyer: She says the housing crisis throughout the city goes much further than the amendments Good Cause Eviction addresses.
Goodyear: Pricing of units is high. Those of us who have owned for years who can charge low rent are terrified now.
Holdneyer: Pricing is one thing the tenants can agree with her on. Rent in Syracuse continues to climb, with the average cost being over $1200 a month, according to Apartments.com. That’s 11.5% higher than the national average.
Muhammad: The situation with rent is. It’s crazy. So folks do not want to be leaving their homes and trying to find another place because you may be homeless.
Holdmeyer: Now all involved in the Syracuse housing crisis are left scrambling to find a solution. In Syracuse, Lauren Holdmeyer, NCC News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Syracuse residents who were wondering if the Good Cause Eviction legislation would pass a Common Council vote got their answers in February. It did not. Now, residents have to figure out what’s next.
Good Cause Eviction law proposed landlords needed to show “good cause” before evicting tenants, such as failure to pay rent or violating lease agreements. It also would allow tenants to challenge substantial rent increases. But there were multiple exceptions. Small landlords (owning less than 10 properties) were not subject to Good Cause Eviction requirements. The law proposal also did not protect subletters or tenants in rent-controlled properties.
Several cities throughout New York state already adopted Good Cause Eviction laws, including New York City, Albany, Ithaca, Kingston, Poughkeepsie, Rochester, Beacon, Newburgh, Nyack, Hudson, New Paltz, Rochester, Fishkill, Catskill, Croton-on-Hudson and Binghamton.
The Syracuse Common Council voted on Good Cause Eviction on Monday, Feb. 23. The vote resulted in a 4-4 tie, meaning it would fail to pass.
“I support tenant stability. I support fairness, but I also support responsible implementation and sound governance,” Common Councilor Moore said. “Syracuse already requires rental registration, and here in Syracuse, we have not consistently enforced that law. Before expanding regulatory mandates, we should demonstrate that we can effectively enforce the laws already on the books.”
Good Cause Eviction failing to pass leaves Syracuse renters wondering what recourse they have. Genghis Khalid Muhammad, a Syracuse resident of 15 years, said he’s worried about how tenants will be protected without Good Cause Eviction.
“Folks do not want to be leaving their homes and trying to find another place because you may be homeless,” Muhammad said. “So, evictions equal homelessness.”
Muhammad has first-hand experience with trying, and failing, to find a place to live. He said he was homeless for seven years in New York City and worries that without these protections, Syracuse residents will face the same challenges.
“We cannot just go to sleep and just think everything’s okay. We have to be proactive rather than reactive,” Muhammad said.
Many Syracuse landlords, however, were not fond of the Good Cause Eviction bill. Patricia Goodyear has owned properties in Syracuse for 30 years and says Good Cause Eviction is not the solution to Syracuse’s housing crisis.
“We need the ones that felt strongly that it was good and should pass to realize that, for whatever reasons, not everyone agrees. So now we need to work on a solution that works for everyone so that we can solve these issues. Because there are issues,” Goodyear said.
Mayor Sharon Owens issued a statement saying that she was disappointed in the Common Council’s decision not to pass the bill and is hopeful the city will be able to work together to find a solution.
“While I am disappointed that the Good Cause Eviction Local Law did not pass, I remain committed to working with the Common Council, housing advocates, and community members to address the urgent need for housing stability and affordability in Syracuse,” Mayor Owens said. “Protecting tenants and ensuring fair treatment is essential to the health and equity of our city. I appreciate the Council’s and the community’s engagement on this important issue. I look forward to continuing the dialogue to find solutions that strengthen housing security for all residents.”
The future for residents in Syracuse is unclear. In order for Good Cause Eviction to pass, it’s likely that a new version of the law will have to be brought to the common council.