Is ‘Good Cause’ bill answer to Plattsburgh affordability crisis?

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y (WCAX) - The affordability of housing is a big issue across the region, as rising rents force many from their homes. A proposed “Good Cause” bill in New York could help protect tenants in the North Country, particularly Plattsburgh’s tight housing market.

“We’re actually thinking about moving and trying to find something cheaper because rent has gone up so much,” said Misty Drolette, who lives in downtown Plattsburgh. But she’s now looking for apartments outside the city. “We only have a one-bedroom right now, and so with what we’re paying -- and rent going up every year -- we’re thinking about considering trying to find a two-bedroom for what we’re paying.”

A survey by the Plattsburgh housing advisory committee last year found the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Clinton County was $1,176. That’s $292 more than what the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development considers a fair market rent for the county.

“The last few years, our operating expenses have gone up,” said Neil Fassette, a local real estate broker who took part in the survey. He blames rising rents on repair costs in older properties and increased labor costs. “We subcontract work out. Those expenses have gone literally through the roof. We would be accustomed to hiring a plumber just three or four years ago and be subjected to an hourly rate of maybe $50, $60 an hour. It is not uncommon for those expenses now to be in the range of $90 to $125 an hour.”

“We provide a very important bridge between the difficulties that landlords have with the market, and then on the other side, we have the families who are challenged with those ever-increasing rents,” said the Housing Authority’s Mark Hamilton. He says one way to protect tenants is through a just cause eviction bill.

A Good Cause bill currently before the state Assembly is aimed at preventing tenants from being evicted due to unreasonable rent increases. It would allow tenants to be evicted -- or landlords not to renew their lease -- for reasons including breaking the lease, causing a nuisance, breaking the law, and non-payment of rent. But if that non-payment was caused by a rent increase of more than three percent in a year -- or 1.5 times the annual percent change of the local consumer price index -- tenants could challenge the landlord.

“In theory, they could bring a non-payment case against the tenant in civil court and then the tenants would bring up this law and say, ‘Look, this says that this is challengable.’ And then the landlord in turn would have to open their books and prove that their costs of business justify the increase in rent,” said Genevieve Rand with the group Citizen Action.

Plattsburgh Mayor Chris Rosenquest says he’s unsure if a rent and eviction control measure is the solution to the city’s high housing costs. “We certainly see it stabilizing some of the people’s housing needs for the short term. For the long term, I don’t really think it’s going to solve the housing issue. Really, what’s going to solve the housing issue is more housing,” he said.

For now, the Good Cause eviction bill remains in committee in Albany. Five other states have enacted similar legislation. The Vermont Legislature has not taken up the issue on a statewide basis, though lawmakers are considering some local charter changes that would add protections for renters.

Related Stories:

‘Just cause’ eviction protections pass in Essex, Winooski; fail in Brattleboro

What’s next for Burlington renters following ‘just cause’ eviction veto?

House to vote on Burlington’s Just Cause Eviction charter change

Just Cause Eviction concerns: Will proposed charter change allow rent control?

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