NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday that the residential tenant eviction protection has been extended to Jan. 1, 2021.
It had been set to expire Oct. 1.
The state's Tenant Safe Harbor Act protects tenants from COVID-related residential evictions and foreclosures if they are suffering financil hardship amid the pandemic.
"As New York continues to fight the pandemic, we want to make sure New Yorkers who are still struggling financially will not be forced from their homes as a result of COVID," Cuomo said. "We want tenants to have fundamental stability in their lives as we recover from this crisis."
Previous executive orders signed by the governor have prohibited charges or fees for late rent payments, and tenants facing financial hardship can still use their security deposit as payment and repay their security deposit over time.
Last week, the governor announced an emergency moratorium on evictions and foreclosures for commercial tenants would be extended until Oct. 20.
Cuomo first announced the state moratorium on residential and commercial evictions on March 20, to ensure no tenant was evicted during the height of the public health emergency.
According to a new poll by the New York City Hospitality Alliance, 87% of commercial tenants say they couldn’t pay August rent in full. It also found 60% of landlords still haven’t waived rent during the COVID-19 pandemic.