The Civic Issue
Good Cause Eviction protects market-rate tenants from being evicted without cause and caps unreasonable rent increases at 5% plus inflation (or 10%, whichever is lower). Tenant advocates fought for this for years; landlords argue it discourages investment and maintenance. Enforcement depends on tenant awareness and housing court capacity.
Headline Spending
$15.0M
identifiable in budget
Budget Lines (Adopted)
$15.0M
7 lines
| Line | Adopted | Spent |
|---|---|---|
HOUSING LITIGATION BUREAU- OFFICE OF HOUSING PRESERVATION | $5.3M | $3.6M |
HOUSING LITIGATION BUREAU AHR OFFICE OF HOUSING PRESERVATION | $2.3M | $1.5M |
Tenant Harassment Protection _ CD OFFICE OF HOUSING PRESERVATION | $568.8K | $229.4K |
Tenant Harassment Protection _ TL OFFICE OF HOUSING PRESERVATION | $345.2K | $147.1K |
STABILIZE NYC - URBAN JUSTICE OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENT OTPS | $3.7M | $2.2M |
CODE ENFORCEMENT -Site Office OFFICE OF HOUSING PRESERVATION | $1.8M | $1.0M |
CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICE OF HOUSING PRESERVATION | $998.9K | $1.1M |
Total Identifiable Spending
$15.0M (Housing Litigation + Tenant Harassment Protection + Stabilize NYC + Code Enforcement, shared lines — Good Cause Eviction enforcement is embedded within these existing programs) within HPD's $1.61B total budget
HPD's Housing Litigation Bureau ($8.9M combined) handles all housing court cases — violations, harassment, and now Good Cause claims. The Tenant Harassment Protection lines ($914K) fund dedicated anti-harassment work. STABILIZE NYC ($3.7M) is a tenant legal services program that likely fields Good Cause cases alongside rent stabilization cases. HPD employs 6,184 Housing Inspectors ($71.8K avg salary) and has $6.8M in code enforcement lines — but this workforce was not expanded specifically for Good Cause.
Good Cause Eviction is a state law (signed June 2024), not a city spending program. Enforcement happens through NYC Housing Court, which is part of the state court system (not in city budget data). The city's role is limited to HPD's litigation/tenant protection work and code enforcement. There is no dedicated Good Cause Eviction budget line because it's a legal right exercised by individual tenants in court, not an agency-administered program. The real cost/impact is in the court system's caseload and in legal services organizations funded through various city contracts.
Key Context
Good Cause Eviction became law statewide in April 2024 (effective immediately for new leases, June 2024 for existing). It covers market-rate units in buildings with fewer than 10 units (those in buildings with 10+ units were already largely covered by rent stabilization). Landlords cannot refuse lease renewals without "good cause" and rent increases above 5% + CPI (or 10%, whichever is lower) can be challenged. The law exempts owner-occupied buildings with 10 or fewer units and new construction for 30 years.