Before the passage of the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 tenants used to be able to offer a landlord a few months extra rent to secure an apartment. Parts of this law have made it difficult for unemployed people, those who have low credit scores, are disabled, or are students to obtain housing.

The pandemic has made it worse. People who were sharing an apartment now find themselves unemployed and unable to move because they can't secure an apartment. They can no longer afford the rent because a roommate moved, or a family member passed away from covid19.

We are in the middle of a pandemic with millions unemployed. Americans are struggling to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. We are stuck with two options stay in housing we can no longer afford and allow rent payments to pile up or move to more affordable housing. But, landlords are still requiring tenants to be employed and making 40 times the rent to qualify for an apartment. This makes both options impossible.

One person has been looking for an apartment for over a year. They a renting a room for 1,300 a month and applied for an apartment costing 1,300 and was denied because they are unemployed. Despite having enough savings to cover the rent for a year. We need help to keep our housing. We need rent relief or legislation to make it easier for unemployed Americans to secure housing.

Tell Governor Cuomo/Hochul, the NYS legislature, and the NYC legislature, that landlords should use other screening requirements for prospective tenants. Such as allowing unemployed tenants to qualify based on their savings or having the city/state be a guarantor. Help us avoid homelessness by passing legislation changing the rental requirement screening process, or repeal the law outlawing no extra cash payments beyond the first month and security.

If landlords are not willing to change their screening requirements the city/state should impose a vacancy tax.