Monday - September 28, 2020 - Governor Cuomo extends the state's stay on evictions through January 1, 2021

Residential tenants who have had trouble keeping up with their rent payments since the outbreak of Covid-19 this past spring are breathing another sigh of relief. Although rent has not been cancelled, as several tenant advocacy groups have called on Governor Cuomo to do, the extension of the stay from October 20th, 2020 to January 1st, 2021, offers tenants facing financial difficulties an additional three months to make decisions and formulate plans. This is significant.

Even after January 1st, 2021, landlords who hope to move forward with evicting tenants with rental arrears will face backloaded housing court dockets to work through, along with New York City’s already-strenuous and involved process for carrying out residential evictions.

While the temptation may be to chalk Governor Cuomo’s decision up as a win for tenants and a loss for landlords, to do so would be reductive, and would miss the point, which is this: the economic and financial fall-out from the spread of Covid-19 has been, and will continue to be, tremendous. And as the city continues inching closer and closer to any sense of normalcy, decisions concerning how, when, if, and to whom to offer financial support –––– including the asset of time to catch-up on arrears –––– must be made with caution; with consideration and intention; and with care.