New York Eviction Moratorium Extends Until August, Cuomo Says

NEW YORK CITY — New York renters cannot be kicked out of their homes for failing to pay rent until Aug. 20 after Gov. Andrew Cuomo extended his moratorium on evictions Thursday.

"I hope it gives families a deep breath," Cuomo said. "We just want to make sure those people who are most vulnerable are protected."

Cuomo extended for another two months his 90-day suspension of evictions in the state — issued in March and set to expire in June — as New York City faces a staggering 22 percent unemployment rate and tenants across the city conduct a mass rent strike.

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Late fees on rent payments will be banned and security deposits can be used as rent payment, Cuomo added.

Landlords who face utility bills and mortgages can expect relief from banks and federal programming, promised Cuomo.

"There's do doubt a tradeoff between the tenant and the landlord," said Cuomo. "But at the human level, I don't want to see children and families evicted at this time."

The Comptroller's office estimates 900,000 New Yorkers could lose their jobs in a financial crisis akin to the Great Depression, spurring city housing advocates to demand stronger tenant protections from Cuomo, such as cancelling rent.

The governor — who put a moratorium on foreclosures and banned landlords from evicting tenants between April and June — has showed no enthusiasm for the idea.

Cuomo declined to comment on what would happen to tenants who, come August, will have failed to pay months of rent.

"I can't tell you what's happening two, three months down the road," said Cuomo. "We will handle it at the time."

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