Velázquez’s Introduces First Bill of 119th Congress to Crackdown on Dishonest Landlords
WASHINGTON– Today, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) introduced the Landlord Accountability Act of 2025, which aims to protect tenants, particularly those in the Section 8 program, from abuses by dishonest landlords.
“New York City is in the midst of a housing affordability crisis, made worse by the unscrupulous practices of certain landlords across the city. Landlords who prioritize profit over people by forcing families and seniors out of Section 8-eligible housing must be stopped and held accountable,” said Congresswoman Velázquez. “As homelessness is on the rise nationwide, addressing the housing crisis must be a priority for this Congress. That’s why this is the first bill I’ve introduced in the 119th Congress, and I’m hopeful my Republican colleagues will join me in tackling this urgent issue.”
The bill creates new violations under federal law for discrimination based upon a tenant’s source of income. Tenants would be able to seek remedies for discrimination under the Fair Housing Act against landlords who discriminate against tenants who receive income from: the Section 8 Program; any form of federal state, or local housing assistance program, including rental assistance, down payment assistance, homeowner assistance, or guarantees provided through government and nongovernment organizations; Social Security; spousal, child, or other court-ordered support; any payment from a trust, guardian, conservator, co-signer, or relative; and any other source of income or funds including saving accounts and investments.
The Landlord Accountability Act of 2025 would also fine landlords who take actions, or neglect to act, with the intention of disqualifying units from federal housing programs. Landlords could be fined up to $100,000 for violations and face a second set of fines of $50,000 with revenue going to aggrieved tenants.
The bill would also create new penalties for landlords who engage in the practice of “warehousing”. In recent years, an increasing number of landlords have intentionally kept rent-stabilized units off the market to encourage tenants to vacate or combine units and charge tenants higher rents. This practice drives up housing costs and fuels affordable housing scarcity in the city. Media reports have indicated that landlords kept an estimate 26,000 regulated units off the market in 2023.
The Landlord Accountability Act would establish a civil monetary penalty if a landlord is found to be intentionally holding a unit, that is available to rent, vacant for a period of more than 60 days. Landlords would be assessed a monetary penalty in the amount of $100,000 for every 30 days that a unit is found to be intentionally left vacant, after the initial 60-day turnover period.
A PDF for the Landlord Accountability Act of 2025 can be found here.
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