Op-ed | New York Apartment Association’s pledge to New Yorkers

We are entering a season of change, and it’s time for housing to change as well.

New York is in the middle of a generations-long housing crisis that continues to worsen. There is a lack of affordable housing and a lack of appetite to build more, while the older stock of affordable housing deteriorates.

New York City has declared a housing emergency for more than 50 years. Grandparents have lived through the stress of a housing crisis, then watched their kids live through it, and now they see a bleak future for their grandchildren.

We must stop this cycle.

This is why I pledge, as CEO of the newly formed New York Apartment Association (NYAA), to work with everyone in the state and city to solve this crisis.

NYAA was formed this month after two existing trade organizations representing apartment building owners and managers realized change was needed. The current system clearly does not work for renters or their housing providers, and the entire housing ecosystem has suffered as a consequence. Only by working together will we be able to achieve abundant affordable housing that will benefit all New Yorkers.

Together, we have the ability and capability to fight for a responsible housing policy that will preserve nearly 1 million apartments throughout the city for generations to come, support the city and state economies, and ensure buildings have the resources they need to keep tenants safely housed.

Apartment buildings have been defunded and devalued, contributing to a local and regional banking crisis. The housing that is available is unaffordable and out of reach for the average New Yorker. Unbalanced housing policies, outdated laws, and skyrocketing costs have caused all of this.

Housing providers and tenants ultimately have the same goal. Safe, affordable, quality housing that is well-maintained and provides opportunity. At NYAA, our goals are aligned with improving the relationship between housing providers and tenants, providing education and support to our members and tenants so everyone knows their rights and responsibilities, and pushing for smarter housing policies and government regulations.

To do this, NYAA has several policy goals, beginning with fully funded vouchers, establishing a universal voucher system, and streamlining the voucher process to eliminate bureaucratic hurdles. Vouchers are the biggest resource for keeping low-income New Yorkers in their home and provide a steady source of investment back into the buildings, ensuring they can remain well-maintained.

NYAA also supports the creation of an eviction diversion program for struggling renters with arrears, as it would keep all parties from having to go through a stressful housing court process, allow the city to fast-track government relief programs, and eventually keep the court from getting backlogged so it can focus on egregious cases.

To ensure that available housing remains well-maintained, NYAA will work with city and state officials to lower building operating costs, including insurance, water and sewer costs, and unfunded mandates. These runaway costs drain funding from the building, so when a boiler breaks or a roof leaks, there is nothing in the reserves to make repairs.

While preserving existing housing is critical, the lack of housing is one of the biggest hurdles the city needs to address. NYAA will be fighting to reform rent regulations so it does not limit supply, and we will work to get apartments that are forced to stay empty for long periods back on the market. We also support reforming the fundamentally unfair and inequitable property tax system and modernizing zoning – both of which have also further limited supply.

It is all connected. Fewer apartments mean fewer New Yorkers contributing to the local economy, while the oppositional political climate leaves New Yorkers without access to desperately needed apartments.

Unbalanced regulations and skyrocketing costs, including unaffordable insurance premiums, contribute to suppressed building values, directly diminishing city and state revenue and services for residents. A broken property tax system rewards affluent neighborhoods at the expense of tenants in need, leading to a further divide and decline in the region’s economic and social health.