The city of Buffalo is Broke! They have not improved services! Buffalo plans to DOUBLE  taxes on Rental Properties!  This will increase the rent !  Please sign the letter below and write if you’re a property owner, tenant, activist opposed to a doubling of property taxes!

Dear Members of the Buffalo Common Council,

We the People of Buffalo are writing to respectfully urge you not to pass any policy that would effectively act as a tariff on tenants by  doubling taxes on rental housing. 

Increasing the rate from $6.51 to $13.07 is a taxes increase of 101%, Thats hundreds to thousands of Dollars per property. 

While these proposals may be framed as targeting property owners, the reality is that these costs will ultimately be passed on to renters in the form of higher rents.

Since 2020, property owners have already absorbed substantial increases in operating costs. These include rising property tax rates and assessments, higher water bills—with more increases expected—growing user fees, insurance rates up approximately 20% in the last five years and still climbing, and expanded City and State inspections on rental properties (which I support). All of these factors increase the cost of maintaining safe, quality housing in Buffalo and eventually must be reflected in rent, especially for small housing providers operating on narrow margins.

As noted by Basil Smikle, former executive director of the New York State Democratic Party, in The Hill, “Property tax hikes often unfairly burden renters, co-op owners and owners of small one- and two-family homes who are largely people of color and Democratic base voters.” This highlights that major tax increases do not simply affect landlords—they directly impact working families, seniors, and first-time renters already struggling with affordability.
Source: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5748621-dsa-mayor-tax-proposal-backfire/amp/

Doubling the tax burden between homestead and non-homestead properties after this 40+ years will result in meaningful rent increases and may discourage investment in maintaining and improving Buffalo’s old housing stock.  At a time when the city is working to improve housing quality and compliance, this approach risks destabilizing both tenants and housing providers.

We urge the City of Buffalo to focus on responsible fiscal management and continue gradual, predictable adjustments—such as the current 2% + rate path—rather than sudden tax shifts that will ultimately harm renters and discourage business 

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely, Concerned Buffalo Property Owners, Tenants,  Housing Advocates