Hochul: Rent relief plan must also include landlords

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — New York’s eviction ban is set to be lifted Tuesday and Gov. Kathy Hochul is promising to get more help for both tenants and landlords.

This effort has taken on new urgency in light of theU.S. Supreme Court decision allowing evictions to resume during the pandemic. This means New Yorkers behind on their rent due to financial hardship will have fewer protections when the state’s eviction ban expires.

When asked over the weekend, Hochul said she will call a special session in Albany.

"We have good protections enacted by our legislature in place for renters," Hochul said. "We also have to protect landlords, many of these landlords are just places, people who own a building right here, like on Lark Street. They need rental money coming in, so we’re going to come up with a program."

New York did launch its rental relief program last month. It’s supposed to distribute more than $2.4 billion to renters, but as of last week, only $200-million has been handed out.

People who live in Rochester and Monroe County are not eligible for the state’s portal and must use an area-specific program.