Stop the Slumlords: Safe Housing for All in Syracuse!

Syracuse City Government and Syracuse Common Council

Every Syracuse tenant deserves a safe, stable, and affordable home. But right now, tenants in Syracuse are living in horrific conditions due to slumlords who refuse to make timely repairs. No-cause, retaliatory evictions are on the rise, and rents in Syracuse are increasing faster than in any other municipality in the country: a 22% average increase in one year [NY Times].

By signing this petition, you are taking the first step in supporting our campaign to Stop the Slumlords and win Safe Housing for All in Syracuse!

Taken together, our demands would protect tenants from unfair evictions, hold slumlords accountable, and keep rents affordable.

We call on the Syracuse Common Council to:

  • Opt in to the STRONGEST version of Good Cause Eviction (set the portfolio exemption to 1 unit and close the 'LLC loophole' to protect as many tenants as possible!)
  • Pass STU’s Rental Registry Proposal to hold slumlords accountable [view the proposal here]
  • Fund and conduct a vacancy study for ETPA rent stabilization

If you are part of an organization that wants to support this campaign, please sign up here.

Sponsored by
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Syracuse Tenants Union
Syracuse, NY

To: Syracuse City Government and Syracuse Common Council
From: [Your Name]

Every Syracuse tenant deserves a safe, stable, and affordable home. But right now, tenants in Syracuse are living in horrific conditions due to slumlords who refuse to make timely repairs. No-cause, retaliatory evictions are on the rise, and rents in Syracuse are increasing faster than in any other municipality in the country [Syracuse saw a 22% average increase in one year, according to a March 2024 report by the New York Times].

Taken together, our campaign demands would hold slumlords accountable, keep rents affordable, and protect tenants from unfair evictions.

The Syracuse Tenants Union (STU) and our allies thus call on the Syracuse Common Council to:

- Opt into Good Cause Eviction to keep our community housed
- Pass STU’s Rental Registry Proposal to hold slumlords accountable
- Fund and conduct a vacancy study for ETPA rent stabilization

Opting into Good Cause Eviction would help keep Syracuse tenants housed by protecting against retaliatory, no-cause evictions and egregious rent hikes.

Passing STU's Rental Registry Proposal would help end lead poisoning of our children, hold slumlords accountable to make repairs, and bring in new revenue to fund relocation programs for tenants forced out of unfit properties.

Funding and conducting a vacancy study is a necessary first step to access ETPA rent stabilization protections for eligible tenants in Syracuse.

The housing situation in Syracuse is beyond dire; as the majority of Syracuse residents are in fact renters, tenants represent a majority of constituents in the city. Our voices must be heard. We urge the Syracuse Common Council to heed our call and to pass these protections as soon as possible to keep our community housed!