UPDATE on Advantage 4/26/11
March 31, 2011 by ABiberman@LawHelp NY · Leave a Comment
Thank you to the Legal Aid Society for providing us with the information below.
Advantage Tenants:
Your May Advantage Rent Will Be Paid
New York City sent notices to thousands of Advantage households saying it would no longer pay Advantage rent subsidies after March 31. Legal Aid sued the City to make the City keep its promise to pay the rent subsidies for at least one full year for each household.
On March 28, 2011, Legal Aid and Weil won a court order requiring the City to pay the Advantage rent due in April for Advantage tenants. On April 21, 2011, that order was extended to May 2nd, and the City is therefore paying May rent for Advantage tenants. This order covers only Advantage tenants who are still within their Advantage lease period.
The court will decide on May 2nd whether the City will have to pay any Advantage rent in the future
Remember:
- The City has been ordered to pay your May Advantage rent amount.
- We don’t yet know whether the City will be ordered to pay any further Advantage rent.
- Continue to pay your portion of your rent to your landlord on time.
- Continue to follow Advantage rules.
- If you are in the middle of your Advantage lease period by the City has not sent some of your payments, call 311 to complain and ask for an investigation.
- Request a fair hearing if you have not already done so. (See below for info on how to request a Fair Hearing)
- Your landlord cannot evict you without taking you to Housing Court.
- Don’t leave your apartment to reapply at PATH just because you think your Advantage rent will not be paid!
- Your landlord cannot evict you without taking you to Housing Court.
To request a Fair Hearing:
1. Fax a copy of your notice to 518.473.6735 (keep your confirmation) or
2. Make an online request at www.otda.state.ny.us/oah/forms.asp or
3. Go in person to the NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance at 14 Boerum Place, Ground Floor (corner of Livingston), Brooklyn, New York. (By Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5 to Borough Hall; N, R to Court Street).
We will share more information as we get it. Written by the Legal Aid Society, Homeless Rights Project 1-800-649-9125.
