What is it?

Good Cause Eviction is a STOP! Coalition campaign/ordinance that has been brought to the Syracuse Common Council by councilor-at-large Michael Greene. It would protect tenants from no-fault evictions, give tenants the right to renew their lease and protect tenants from unconscionable rent hikes.

Why do we need it?

Through canvassing more than 1,500 homes since March 2021, we’ve learned that tenants across Syracuse experience persistent substandard and unsafe living conditions, from lead exposure to a lack of heat and electricity. However, when tenants attempt to address these problems by seeking repairs or contacting code enforcement, they are often evicted as a result.

The white paper Evicting Syracuse During COVID - A Good Cause Eviction Ordinance Is Common Sense, outlines the overlap between code violations and eviction proceedings in Syracuse. From the data presented, it is clear that measures that empower tenants relative to landlords – i.e. those that protect the tenant’s right to renew leases, report and mitigate code violations, and that incentivize landlords to maintain the properties to which they hold title – are likely to alleviate neighborhood-level concerns.

How would Good Cause Eviction help?

By protecting tenants from no-fault evictions, Good Cause Eviction would empower tenants to organize and demand better, safer living conditions without worrying that they’ll be forced out of their homes as a result. Additionally, under the Syracuse ordinance, landlords

• Cannot evict without presenting the Rental Registry Certificate or Certificate of Compliance

• Cannot evict based on non-payment of a rent increase of more than 5%

• Cannot evict if there are open code violations at any of their properties

• Cannot evict if there is a history of intimidation