The Legal Aid Society called on Governor Andrew Cuomo to extend the eviction moratorium for tenants outright after the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) issued a General Information Systems (GIS) message extending the freeze until December 31, 2020, and then abruptly removed the message from its website, providing no other explanation. Then, the GIS message dated September 14, 2020, was replaced with another GIS message on September 17, 2020. The new message, however, did not include the eviction moratorium extension language. That GIS message has also been removed from OTDA’s website.
The September 14, 2020 GIS message had noted that – “Based upon the issuance of this federal moratorium, the provisions of Judge Marks’ Administrative Order have been extended to prevent evictions through December 31, 2020.”
In response to the eviction moratorium issued earlier this month by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Legal Aid has called on Albany to extend the statewide eviction moratorium, as the CDC’s regulation will not cover tens of thousands of New Yorkers, especially unrepresented tenants who do not know their rights and others who unscrupulous landlords exploit via loopholes in the moratorium. The current New York State eviction moratorium for residents is set to expire on October 01, 2020.
“It is really disappointing that this has turned out to be some administrative snafu, not the Governor and his Administration finally heeding the calls for action from tens of thousands of tenants around New York State,” said Judith Goldiner, Attorney-in-Charge of the Civil Law Reform Unit at The Legal Aid Society. “The statewide eviction moratorium expires in roughly ten days, and the CDC’s regulation already fails thousands of tenants across our state. Legal Aid again calls on Governor Cuomo to use his authority and power to extend the eviction freeze outright through the end of this public health crisis.”
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About The Legal Aid Society
The Legal Aid Society exists for one simple yet powerful reason: to ensure that New Yorkers are not denied their right to equal justice because of poverty. For over 140 years, we have protected, defended, and advocated for those who have struggled in silence for far too long. Every day, in every borough, The Legal Aid Society changes the lives of our clients and helps improve our communities.
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