Balancing Act: Navigating the Tradeoffs of Good Cause Eviction Legislation

Progress on proposals to address the housing shortage that is contributing to high housing prices and rents across New York State stalled last year in part because of disagreements over whether measures to encourage new construction would be packaged with legislation to prevent landlords from evicting tenants or refusing to renew their leases except for “good cause.” Resolving those disagreements is seen as critical to movement on housing issues in 2024 as well. While Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate President Andrea Stewart-Cousins have said they support “good cause” in principle, neither have come forward publicly with a specific legislative proposal to implement that principle.

Research shows that promoting housing stability and preventing evictions avoids enormous harm. Evictions lead to worse physical and mental health and increased hospital visits, and are associated with adverse childbirth outcomes. They have lasting effects on future earnings and access to credit. They lead to homelessness, and future housing instability. The harms of eviction are especially likely to fall on Black renters, and households