Article 7-C of the New York Multiple Dwelling Law, commonly known as the 1982 Loft Law, was designed to protect the residential
tenant
Tenant may refer to:
Real estate
*Tenant, the holder of a leasehold estate in real estate
*Tenant-in-chief, in feudal land law
*Tenement (law), the holder of a legal interest in real estate
*Tenant farmer
*Anchor tenant, one of the larger stores ...
s of certain former commercial buildings in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
from substandard conditions, eviction, and unfair rent increases. The law affected buildings it defined as Interim Multiple Dwellings (IMDs), commercial or manufacturing
loft
A loft is a building's upper storey or elevated area in a room directly under the roof (American usage), or just an attic: a storage space under the roof usually accessed by a ladder (primarily British usage). A loft apartment refers to large ...
buildings that had at least three units occupied by residents during the period of April 1, 1980, through December 1, 1981. It required landlords to bring converted residences up to code, and prevented them from charging tenants for improvements until the issuance of a
Certificate of Occupancy
Certificate may refer to:
* Birth certificate
* Marriage certificate
* Death certificate
* Gift certificate
* Certificate of authenticity, a document or seal certifying the authenticity of something
* Certificate of deposit, or CD, a financial pro ...
.
The law was administered by the
New York City Loft Board
The New York City Loft Board (Loft Board) is a quasi-legislative and judicial body of the New York City government that oversees the legal conversion of commercial and manufacturing spaces to residential use.
History
In the 1970s New York City ...
.
The 1982 Loft Law should not be confused with the artists' loft law, Article 7-b of the New York State Multiple Dwelling Law nor with
rent control
Rent regulation is a system of laws, administered by a court or a public authority, which aims to ensure the affordability of housing and tenancies on the rental market for dwellings. Generally, a system of rent regulation involves:
*Price cont ...
legislation, which limits the ability of landlords to increase the rent of certain long-term tenants. The artists' loft law requires that the tenant be certified by either the New York State council on the arts or the city's department of cultural affairs. While this law applied to any city of at least one million in New York State, only New York City has such population.
See also
*
Rent control in New York
Rent regulation in New York is a means of limiting the amount of rent charged on dwellings. Rent control and rent stabilization are two programs used in parts of New York state (and other jurisdictions). In addition to controlling rent, the system ...
*
2009 Loft Law Amendment
Loft Law Amendment (also referred to as Expanded Loft Law) is a New York law that created a new window period for recognition of loft tenants that previously did not qualify under the original 1982 Loft Law.
The purpose of this bill is to ext ...
References
External links
Lower Manhattan Loft Tenants, an advocacy group
New York City Loft Board
an exhaustive resource for NYC housing law and tenants rights
Loft Law
Loft Law
1982 in New York (state)
New York City Department of Buildings
New York City law
Housing in New York City
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