Good Cause Eviction tenant protections will safeguard Buffalo’s renters and improve the stability of our neighborhoods. All community members will benefit from renters having more stable housing. Kids will do better in school, public safety will improve, and rental housing in Buffalo will remain affordable in a city where nearly two-thirds of residents are renters.

We, the residents of the City of Buffalo, pride ourselves on being the "City of Good Neighbors", and we demand that the Common Council join over a dozen other cities across NYS in extending Good Cause Eviction tenant protections to renters in our city. Good Cause is a necessity for tenants in Buffalo to maintain their dignity. Housing is a fundamental right, and it’s a prerequisite for stable employment, education, safety, and civic participation. If a family can be thrown out onto the streets without good cause and landlords can raise rents to unaffordable levels, it undermines the fabric of communities and neighborhoods. Buffalo and Erie County have among the highest eviction rates in the state. These numbers don’t even include tenants who’ve self-evicted due to dangerous and substandard housing conditions or harassment and retaliation by bad landlords. Buffalo remains one of the poorest cities in the state. Housing affordability is a critical issue for far too many residents. Nearly half of Buffalo residents are cost-burdened, paying more than 30% of their gross income on rent. The Buffalo Common Council should pass the strongest possible version of Good Cause Eviction tenant protections in 2026.

The strongest version of Good Cause Eviction tenant protections:

- Requires that landlords have a legitimate reason for evicting a tenant
- Allows most lease renewals for tenants who pay their rent and follow their lease terms
- Prevents unreasonable rent increases to preserve housing affordability
- Closes the LLC loophole by including non-owner occupied rental housing down to a portfolio size of one rental unit
- Covers tenants living in all but the most luxury rental units in the city

The Buffalo Common Council must act now to pass Good Cause Eviction tenant protections.