Brooklyn family faces eviction from longtime home, despite being ‘model tenants’

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) – A Brooklyn family is facing eviction from their home of close to 15 years, despite being model tenants and always paying their rent on time, according to The Legal Aid Society.

Camey King lives in her East New York apartment with her mother and teenage daughter. The family is currently facing eviction from their longtime home without a “good cause,” as first reported by amNewYork.

King’s old landlord lost the building in a foreclosure a few years ago, but King was never informed of the foreclosure and continued to pay rent to the former owner until March 2022, according to The Legal Aid Society. That’s when she was served with a legal notice by the new building owner that she would be evicted.

The new owner brought a holdover proceeding against King, which is a case that’s unrelated to non-payment of rent. Because the family lives in an unregulated apartment, they don’t have legal recourse to fight the eviction.

“King’s story is tragic, but it isn’t an outlier. Model tenants throughout New York City are facing exorbitant rent increases and warrantless evictions simply because the existing statute does not provide New Yorkers with basic protections to defend against these practices,” said Leigh Mangum, staff attorney in the Brooklyn Housing Unit at The Legal Aid Society.

The Legal Aid Society has called on state lawmakers in Albany to pass “Good Cause” legislation, which would help families like King’s avoid unwarranted evictions and stay in their homes.

“Good Cause” legislation would require landlords to demonstrate a justification for evicting tenants in unregulated apartments. It would prevent landlords from denying lease renewals to tenants who have abided by the terms of their leases, according to The Legal Aid Society.

The legislation would also protect tenants from unreasonably high rent hikes, by restricting rent increases to either 3% or 1.5 times the inflation rate, whichever is higher.

“In the midst of an unprecedented housing crisis and with a possible recession months away, we need policies that work to keep our neighbors housed, and that’s why Albany must include ‘Good Cause’ in the final budget,” Mangum said.