Corlear Gardens Housing Co. v. Ramos

126 Misc. 2d 416, 481 N.Y.S.2d 577, 1984 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3635
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 1, 1984
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 126 Misc. 2d 416 (Corlear Gardens Housing Co. v. Ramos) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Corlear Gardens Housing Co. v. Ramos, 126 Misc. 2d 416, 481 N.Y.S.2d 577, 1984 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3635 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1984).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Joseph DiFede, J.

Motion by defendant, Carole Ramos, for summary judgment in her favor is granted.

The defendant proceeded by order to show cause for permission to amend her answer to include additional affirmative defenses and for summary judgment. This court on July 11, 1984, granted that part of the defendant’s application to amend her answer and set that part of the defendant’s application for summary judgment for a hearing on August 11, 1984. On that date this court heard oral arguments by both sides and both sides have since submitted written briefs in support of their positions.

Plaintiff in this action is a cooperative apartment management corporation, and defendant is a shareholder in and resident of said cooperative. The plaintiff in June, 1978, by its board of directors, issued certain regulations permitting only those animals acquired prior to July 11,1978, to continue to be housed [417]*417by cooperators on the subject premises. The plaintiff has brought this action and alleges that the defendant violated these regulations by having acquired one of her dogs after July 11,1978, and is seeking a declaratory judgment to determine the rights of the parties.

The defendant had made a prior application for summary judgment contending that there was no question of fact as to her compliance with the defendant’s regulation. Justice Callahan of this court rendered a decision dated January 4, 1982, and held that there was an issue of fact as to when the defendant acquired her dog, and as to whether she had submitted the form as required by the plaintiff’s regulations.

The court in its decision of July 11, 1984, permitted the defendant to amend his answer to include as an affirmative defense that the no-pet provision relied on for this action has been waived pursuant to section D26-10.10 of the Administrative Code of the City of New York. The plaintiff’s position is that the city council lacked the power to enact section D26-10.10 of the Administrative Code. The plaintiff also asserts that if section D26-10.10 was validly enacted, it does not apply to cooperative housing companies and that section D26-10.10 does not apply to this action because this action was commenced prior to the enactment of section D26-10.10.

The plaintiff has conceded that if section D26-10.10 was validly enacted and applies retroactively to cooperatives then the motion for summary judgment must be granted.

On October 26, 1983, the Mayor of New York City signed and approved intro 569-B, effective immediately, amending article 10 of subtitle II of title D of chapter 26 of the Administrative Code by adding a new section D26-10.10 which provides as follows:

“Rights and Responsibilities of Owners and Tenants in Relation to Pets. — a. Legislative Declaration. The council hereby finds that the enforcement of covenants contained in multiple dwelling leases which prohibit the harboring of household pets has led to widespread abuse by building owners or their agents who knowing that a tenant has a pet for an extended period of time seek to evict the tenant and/or his pet often for reasons unrelated to the creation of a nuisance. Because household pets are kept for reasons of safety and companionship and under the existence of a continuing housing emergency it is necessary to protect pet owners from retaliatory eviction and to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of tenants who harbor pets under the circumstances provided herein. It is hereby found that the [418]*418enactment of the provisions of this section is necessary to prevent potential hardship and physical dislocation of tenants in this city.

“b. Where a tenant in a multiple dwelling openly and notoriously for a period of three (3) months or more following taking possession of a unit harbors or had harbored a household pet or pets, the harboring of which is not prohibited by the Multiple Dwelling Law, the Housing Maintenance or the Health Codes of the City of New York or any applicable law, and the owner or his agent has knowledge of this fact, and such owner fails within this three (3) months period to commence a summary proceeding or action to enforce and lease provision prohibiting the keeping of such household pets, such lease provision shall be deemed waived.

“c. It shall be unlawful for an owner or his agent by express terms or otherwise to restrict a tenants rights as provided in this section. Any such restriction shall be unenforceable and deemed void as against public policy.

“d. The waiver provision of this section shall not apply when the harboring of a household pet causes damage to the subject premises, creates a nuisance or interferes substantially with the health, safety, or welfare of other tenants or occupants of the same or adjacent building or structure.

“e. The New York City Housing Authority shall, be exempt from the provisions of this section.

“Section 2. This local Law shall take effect immediately and shall apply to existing and future leases and renewals.”

This law took effect on or about October 26, 1983. This action was commenced by service of a summons and complaint on May 9, 1980, prior to the effective date of the statute.

The plaintiff argues that the Urstadt Law (L 1962, ch 21, § 1, subd 5, as amd) restricted the City of New York’s authority to regulate rents and evictions and the City of New York lacked the power to validly enact section D26-10.10 of the Administrative Code.

The Urstadt Law provides in part: “Each city having a population of one million or more * * * acting through its local legislative body * * * may adopt and amend local laws or ordinances in respect of the regulation and control of residential rents, including but not limited to provision for the establishment and adjustment of maximum rents, the classification of housing accommodations, the regulation of evictions, and the enforcement of such local laws or ordinances. The validity of any such [419]*419local laws or ordinances, and the rules or regulations promulgated in accordance therewith, shall not be affected by and need not be consistent with the state [statutes].”

Chapter 21 (§ 1, subd 5) of the Laws of 1962 (as amd) goes on to further provide: “Notwithstanding the foregoing, no local law or ordinance shall hereafter provide for the regulation and control of residential rents and eviction in respect of any housing accommodations which are (1) presently exempt from such regulation and control or (2) hereafter decontrolled either by operation of law or by a city housing rent agency, by order or otherwise. No housing accommodations presently subject to regulation and control pursuant to local laws or ordinances adopted or amended under authority of this subdivision shall hereafter be by local law or ordinance or by rule or regulation which has not been theretofore approved by the state commissioner of housing and community renewal subjected to more stringent or restrictive provisions of regulation and control than those presently in effect.”

The Urstadt Law was not intended to place restrictions on a municipality other than with respect to rent control regulation. A municipality was not restricted by the Urstadt Law from adopting public safety regulations even though they may have effected rent-controlled housing.

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Bluebook (online)
126 Misc. 2d 416, 481 N.Y.S.2d 577, 1984 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3635, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/corlear-gardens-housing-co-v-ramos-nysupct-1984.