Requires landlords to notify adjoining units of a bed bug infestation in a rental residential premises without identifying information, and to notify all tenants of an infestation in a common area by posting such notice in a conspicuous location accessible to all tenants.
Summary
S00751 amends New York’s Real Property Law section 235-j, which governs landlord notice obligations for bed bug infestations in residential rental premises. The bill narrows and clarifies who must be notified when a landlord learns of an infestation in a specific unit: instead of notifying all tenants and lessees on the premises, the landlord must give written notice only to tenants and lessees in units immediately above, below, and adjacent to the infested unit. The notice must be provided within 72 hours of the landlord’s knowledge of the infestation, and it may not identify the infested unit or include personally identifying information about the affected tenant or tenants.
The bill also adds a separate rule for infestations found in a common area of a residential rental property. In that situation, the landlord must post notice in a conspicuous location accessible to all tenants and lessees within 72 hours. The measure includes an exception for landlords already subject to bed bug notice and remediation obligations under a judicial order, legal settlement, or binding agreement with a government regulator, while that obligation remains in effect. The bill is tied to the effective date of the 2024 bed bug notice law it amends, indicating it is meant to operate as part of that broader statutory framework.
Impact
The bill would modify Real Property Law § 235-j by replacing the prior requirement to notify all tenants and lessees on the premises with a more targeted notice requirement for adjacent units, while also creating a posting requirement for common-area infestations. It affects landlords and lessors of residential rental properties, and it protects tenant privacy by prohibiting identification of the infested unit or disclosure of personally identifying information. The bill also preserves existing court-ordered or settlement-based remediation regimes, avoiding overlap with properties already under enforceable bed bug compliance obligations.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests broad support for the bill. It passed the Senate Rules Committee 19-2, the Senate floor 55-8, and the Assembly 145-4, indicating strong bipartisan or near-bipartisan approval. No committee transcript is available, but the large margins suggest lawmakers generally viewed the measure as a practical tenant-protection and notice-clarification bill rather than a controversial policy change.
Contention
The main policy tension appears to be between tenant notification and tenant privacy, as well as between broad disclosure and targeted notice. The bill reduces the scope of required notice from all tenants to only those in immediately adjacent units, which may reflect concern about over-disclosure and stigma for affected tenants. Any opposition likely centered on whether the notice window and limited audience are sufficient to protect neighboring tenants from infestation spread, but the recorded votes show that such concerns did not prevent passage by wide margins.
Same As
Requires landlords to notify adjoining units of a bed bug infestation in a rental residential premises without identifying information, and to notify all tenants of an infestation in a common area by posting such notice in a conspicuous location accessible to all tenants.
Requires landlords to notify adjoining units of a bed bug infestation in a rental residential premises without identifying information, and to notify all tenants of an infestation in a common area by posting such notice in a conspicuous location accessible to all tenants.