Advocates and Rochester leaders are celebrating the passage of good cause eviction legislation.
It's a move that's advocates say could to impact more than 100,000 people in the city.
Rochester City Council voted to opt-in to those protections Tuesday night following months of discussions.
City Council President Miguel Meléndez says officials wanted to build a framework around the bill that would assist both tenant and property owners.
That includes a good cause eviction task force to monitor and evaluate how those protections are implemented.
“With the passage of Good Cause Eviction by New York State, the Rochester City Council took on the responsibility to investigate how this legislation might best be used to benefit all Rochesterians," Meléndez said in a statement. "I am proud of this body for ushering in legislation that will protect the sixty-four percent of residents who rent throughout our city. This is particularly important in communities within our city who have often been marginalized, specifically in the area of access to quality, affordable and stable housing.”
“Over a hundred thousand tenants can now rest easy knowing their landlord can’t kick them out just because he wants more money,” City-Wide Tenant Union of Rochester organizer Lisle Coleman said in a statement. “We are ready to use our new protections to fight for better conditions, stop rent hikes, and stand our ground against predatory landlords. Thanks to Good Cause, Rochester tenants will be able to claim our homes and set roots for the long-term, creating the beautiful, stable neighborhoods that we all deserve.”
The law will go into effect in the coming weeks, requiring property owners to provide good cause before evicting a tenant or raising the rent.