Senator Palumbo and Colleagues Call for Common Sense Solutions to Protect Homeowners from Squatters & Address State’s Housing Crisis

            New York State Senator Anthony Palumbo (R,C-New Suffolk) and Senator Mario Mattera (R,C-Smithtown) today joined their fellow Senate Republican Colleagues to unveil a comprehensive package of legislation designed to incentivize home ownership, improve access to affordable housing options in communities and help protect homeowners against “squatters.”

            The package includes tax credits and incentives, removes regulatory burdens, and incentivizes new construction, as well as continued investment and improvements in existing housing stock. In addition, it will directly address the recent increase in outrageous cases of “squatters” who inhabit a home without permission from the law-abiding, taxpaying property owners.

            “The housing crisis is a real issue here on Long Island and across the state due to a lack of housing stock, which continues to drive up home and apartment prices and the growing problem of squatters.  The New York State legislature must take action to address these problems and help make the dream of homeownership more affordable for New Yorkers and protect the property rights of residents,” said Senator Anthony Palumbo. “I am proud of my efforts on the East End to provide workforce housing for area residents and I will continue to work with my Senate and Assembly colleagues to pass common sense solutions to address the growing concerns of New Yorkers and help address the state’s housing crunch.”  

            “For many, owning a home is the American Dream, but the unfortunate reality is that it is becoming a nightmare for too many due to the epidemic of squatting. With this package making great efforts to ensure families can own and build their homes, it is vital that we also give them the ability to protect them. The aggressive legislation I have introduced will protect homeowners by providing them with a mechanism to quickly remove squatters and give the police the tools they need to assist victims. This will give power back to our residents who are being repeatedly abused by the current broken system,” said Senator Mario Mattera.

            Included in the package unveiled today are proposals that would:

·         Create a first-time homebuyer tax credit to give new homeowners an income tax credit based on their local property taxes, making the American dream more affordable for New Yorkers (S.8826);

·         Create a home renovation tax exemption to provide five years of property tax relief to homeowners who invest in their property. This will incentivize the revitalization of our existing housing stock, bringing abandoned and dilapidated homes back to life and expanding the housing stock of the future (S.8838);

·         Establish a housing infrastructure tax credit to provide a credit of up to ten percent of costs for infrastructure projects related to the construction of new homes or multiple dwellings (S.8578);

·         Establish a tax credit of up to $2000 to incentivize the installation of manufactured homes and the expansion of manufactured home communities to provide more affordable housing opportunities (S.8458);

·         Provide means-testing for rent-regulated housing to ensure that affordable housing units are occupied by those who need them (S.8887);

·         Create a Local Housing Task Force to bring together local government officials, state agencies, and stakeholders to develop best practices to incentivize housing development and address state regulation that prevents development (S.8896);

·          Extend the successful 421-a tax incentive for developers (S.7560);

·         Establish the crime of squatting as criminal trespass in the third degree (S.5979); and

·          Expedite the method where a property owner may evict a squatter from residential property (S.8867).