New York, NY – Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal (D/WF-Manhattan) announced that her bill requiring landlords to notify tenants about programs to freeze their rents was signed into law by the Governor.

“The SCRIE and DRIE programs are critical lifelines, designed to keep some of our most vulnerable citizens in their homes,” said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal. “Sadly, many people are not aware that these great programs exist. My law will help to change that by requiring landlords to provide annual notice to all potentially eligible tenants.”

The Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) and Disabled Rent Increase Exemption (DRIE) programs freeze the rents of eligible seniors over the age of 62 or disabled people with incomes below $50,000 annually. The landlord of tenants enrolled in SCRIE or DRIE receive property tax abatement for the difference between the actual and frozen rent. The New York City Department of Finance (DOF), the city agency which administers these state-created programs, estimates that both programs are under enrolled. According to a DOF report issued in early 2015, of more than 155,000 individuals eligible for one or both of the programs, more than 94,000, or 61% of all eligible tenants, are not enrolled in the program.

“My office has been hosting quarterly SCRIE and DRIE clinics for years and has been successful in enrolling hundreds of tenants in the rent freeze programs, but this law will supplement those efforts and ensure that any tenant who is eligible to freeze their rents knows,” said Assemblymember Rosenthal. “We are going to save people hundreds of dollars and keep them in their homes!”

The bill was sponsored in the Senate by Martin Golden, and will take effect within 30 days.