New York Assembly Bill A08717

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 6/2/25
• Refer: 6/2/25
• Refer: 1/7/26

Caption

Requires records of elevator and vertical transportation maintenance, operation issues and repairs be made available to tenants at their request.

Summary

A08717 would amend the New York Multiple Dwelling Law to require owners of multiple dwellings to keep current records of elevator and other vertical transportation maintenance, service interruptions, emergency calls, preventive maintenance, and mechanical repairs. The bill specifically identifies issues such as door malfunctions, hydraulic system repairs, and work on electronic control systems, elevator cars, and hoistways. The bill also requires that these records be made available to the municipal agency with jurisdiction over elevator or vertical transportation violations. In addition, tenants would have the right to review the records and obtain copies upon request. Those copies could then be used in connection with challenges to individual apartment improvement increases or temporary major capital improvement increases under the emergency housing rent control law.

Impact

This bill would add a new recordkeeping and disclosure requirement to section 51 of the Multiple Dwelling Law for owners of multiple dwellings with elevators or similar vertical transportation systems. It expands tenant access to maintenance and repair documentation and creates a formal obligation for owners to preserve and produce those records to both regulators and tenants. The bill could also affect rent regulation disputes by allowing the records to be used to oppose certain rent increases tied to building improvements.

Sentiment

No committee transcript or vote record is available, so there is no documented debate or recorded support/opposition to gauge legislative sentiment. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears consumer- and tenant-protective, aimed at transparency and accountability in building maintenance. The caption and structure suggest a straightforward housing oversight bill rather than a controversial policy change.

Contention

The main point of potential contention is the burden on building owners, who would need to maintain detailed records and provide them on request, versus the benefit to tenants and regulators seeking transparency about elevator safety and reliability. Another possible area of dispute is the bill’s explicit link to rent regulation, since the records could be used to block individual apartment improvement increases or temporary major capital improvement increases. That connection may be welcomed by tenant advocates but opposed by landlords and property management interests.