NYC Council legislators hashed out some legal issues on Tuesday in a package of bills aimed at creating stronger penalties against illegal evictions, more recourse for tenants and temperature control for renters in the summer.
Even though it is illegal to evict long-term tenants without going through Housing Court, extra-judicial evictions are common in New York. Brooklyn City Council Member Sandy Nurse said that, in her experience as a legislator responding to illegal lockouts in her district, she learned that there are gaps in enforcement and the ability to get a tenant back in their residence after being unlawfully kicked out.
