A Brief Recap: NYC Council Housing Bills

On December 18, 2025, the NYC Council passed a package of housing-focused bills aimed at making City-subsidized housing more affordable, increasing the number of family-sized apartments, and strengthening tenant protections. These bills still require Mayor Eric Adams’ signature to become law.

Key housing measures approved include:

• More affordable homeownership: Requires a minimum share of City-financed affordable housing production to be set aside for homeownership opportunities (Intro 958-A).
• More family-sized apartments: Establishes minimum targets for two-bedroom and three-bedroom units in City-financed affordable rental housing starting in 2027 (Intro 1433-A).
• Deeper affordability targets: Requires a greater share of City-financed rentals to serve very low-income and extremely low-income households beginning in 2027 (Intro 1443-A).
• Preserving existing affordable homes (COPA): Gives qualified nonprofit organizations the first opportunity to purchase certain residential buildings before they are sold on the open market (Intro 902-B).
• Clear timelines for co-op sales: Sets required response deadlines for co-op boards during apartment sales to reduce delays and uncertainty (Intro 1120-B).
• Cooling standards for tenants: Requires apartments to have cooling capability upon tenant request by June 1, 2030, and establishes rules for cooling-season operation (Intro 994-A).
• Tax lien reform via a land bank: A package of bills intended to move away from the current tax lien sale system and toward a City-established land bank model (Intros 570-B, 1407-A, 1411-A, 1419-A, 1420-A).

Source: NYC Council press release, “Building on Legacy of Confronting the Housing Crisis…”