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Landlord raises mattress-disposal and lease-renewal concerns amid Yonkers 'good cause' eviction proposal
Summary
A longtime landlord urged Yonkers City Council to address large-item waste disposal and to preserve landlords' ability to refuse lease renewals for tenants who cause problems, citing fears about proposed 'good cause' eviction rules; he described tenant retaliation concerns in public comment.
During public comment at the Yonkers City Committee of the Whole, Kenneth Nielsen, who identified himself as a landlord of 40 years, urged the city to address the increasing problem of bulk waste disposal and raised concerns about proposed "good cause" eviction legislation and how it might affect landlords' ability to decline lease renewals.
Why it matters: Bulk waste and eviction-rule changes affect housing management and neighborhood maintenance; those changes could affect landlords' practices and tenants' living conditions.
Nielsen told the council that large-item refuse such as mattresses has become an increasing problem and that he has begun transporting such items to Hunts Point to dispose of them. "There's gotta be a better way, and I wish the city would look into this," he said on the record.
On proposed good-cause eviction rules, Nielsen said an important landlord tool is the ability to refuse renewal of a lease for tenants who repeatedly cause disruptions. He described a case in which a tenant who is a bus driver said neighbors were "smoking pot all the time," risking the tenant's job because of periodic drug testing. Nielsen said attempts to get the complaining tenant to pursue court action failed because she feared harassment; he argued that nonrenewal would give landlords more leverage to resolve repeat problems.
Nielsen concluded by asking the council to consider these issues as it evaluates eviction proposals and other housing-related items.
