The Common Council is poised to declare a housing emergency tonight under the provisions of the state Emergency Tenant Protection Act, opening the door to a new era of landlord-tenant relations in Kingston.

The council has a special meeting set for Thursday, July 28 at 6:30 at City Hall, 420 Broadway, but also may be viewed via Zoom. Click here for more information.

If the council OKs the declaration, several measures of the 1974 state law will go into effect. The ETPA is overseen by the state Department of Housing and Community Renewal. If the city declares a housing emergency, Mayor Steve Noble will have 30 days to forward to DHCR the names of nine city residents who will form a Rent Guidelines Board. By law the board is comprised of two tenant representatives, two owner representatives and five “public” representatives. The board will meet annually and set a maximum rent increase for new one- and two-year leases for the coming year. The rent cap number is based on public comment as well as guidelines promulgated by DHCR.

The law also gives the board the power to lower or annul rent hikes in new leases signed “during a period, to be determined by the [Rent Guidelines Board].” The provisions of the law only cover buildings with six or more units built prior to 1974. A survey conducted by the city’s Office of Housing Initiatives identified 1,270 ETPA-eligible housing units in 59 Kingston properties and found the vacancy rate to be just 1.57 percent.

That provision could provide relief to tenants of some of the city’s large apartment complexes who have complained of sharp rent hikes by landlords attempting to get in under the wire of recent affordable housing legislation.

At Tuesday's public hearing on the resolution, the majority of the 30-plus speakers urged the council to approve the declaration, with many sharing stories of the hardships they or their friends have suffered as renters over the years and especially since the pandemic. Some were opposed, saying some landlords are already running in the red and rent control would make that situation worse.