Jackson Heights Senator Will Talk Tenant Protections At Town Hall

CORONA, QUEENS — Housing experts will join State Sen. Jessica Ramos at a town hall Friday in Queens to discuss rent regulations and tenant protections.

Ramos will break down nine housing bills she's pushing to pass before the state's rent regulation laws expire on June 15.

The proposals include ending rent hikes for so-called "major capital improvements" and making preferential rents — which are lower than the legal maximum for rent-stabilized tenants — permanent until a tenant leaves.

Friday's panel in Corona will include a Legal Aid housing policy expert and tenant rights advocates. A housing attorney will be there to answer in-depth questions, according to a spokeswoman for Ramos.

Ramos's town hall follows news that the Jackson Heights-Elmhurst-Corona area is one of the worst areas in Queens for evictions, based on 2018 data.

Tenants in the neighborhood have been fighting for increased protections from legal loopholes that they say leave them vulnerable to eviction.

Ramos's housing town hall is from 6 to 8 p.m. on May 10 at 51-11 108th St. in Corona. Click herefor more information about the event.