Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara announced that he is sponsoring legislation in the Assembly to aid landlords with fewer than five properties who’ve faced financial hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Sometimes we forget that many of the people who rent out homes and apartments aren’t faceless corporations,” Santabarbara said. “They are family, friends and neighbors who rent to maintain their livelihoods, and many have struggled in the past year due to COVID-19. With little or no rental income, property owners simply have not had the resources necessary for property maintenance or to pay property taxes. This important piece of legislation will help these small-scale landlords pay their utilities and continue providing their tenants with a safe place to live.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, rent relief measures and a moratorium on evictions have had a significant financial impact on smaller landlords receiving rent payments. Santabarbara’s bill would allow municipalities to give landlords owning five or fewer rental units an extension of 180 days after the pandemic state of emergency has expired to pay property taxes if a tenant has not paid rent (A.4644). The bill would give our local property owners much-needed relief while preventing predatory investors from taking advantage of at-risk properties and preventing another zombie property crisis, Santabarbara noted.

Santabarbara encourages residents with questions about the property tax extension bill, or any matter, to contact his office at 518-382-2941 or email SantabarbaraA@nyassembly.gov.