June 2025
Weekly Report for June 27, 2025
Primary Election Results – Recap
On June 24, New York City Democratic primary voters elected current Queens Assemblymember and Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani for Mayor defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo. Mamdani will face Republican Curtis Sliwa and current New York City Mayor Eric Adams running on an independent line in November’s general election. Cuomo, who also secured an independent line in the general, has yet to announce whether he will go forward with the campaign.
Other Democratic primary election winners in New York City include Jumaane Williams for Public Advocate, Mark Levine for City Comptroller, Brad Hoylman-Sigal for Manhattan Borough President, Antonio Reynoso for Brooklyn Borough President, and Vanessa Gibson for Bronx Borough President. Primaries for all City Council Districts were also held. A full list of New York City primary election results can be found here.
Major primaries for mayor and supervisor in upstate cities and towns were also held. Notable Democratic primary winners include: Dorcey Applyrs for Albany Mayor, Sean Ryan for Buffalo Mayor, Malik Evans for Rochester Mayor, and Sharon Owens for Syracuse Mayor. Notable Republican primary winners include: Ed Smyth for Huntington Supervisor, Ed Wehrheim for Smithtown Supervisor, and Dan Gagliardo for Amherst Supervisor.
REALTOR® Support Sees Victories in June Primary Elections
The New York State Association of REALTORS® Fund – NYSAR’s Independent Expenditure Committee – supported three pro-housing candidates running for election during the June 24 primary. The robust and successful independent campaign efforts resulted in the re-elections of Huntington Town Supervisor Ed Smyth and Huntington Town Councilman Dave Bennardo, and the election of Greg Grizopoulos to the Huntington Town Council. These successful campaigns can be attributed to the long-standing political work of the Long Island Board of REALTORS®.
Court: Landlords Have Constitutional Right to Repayment
On June 6, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit denied the federal government’s petition for a rehearing in Darby v. United States, a case claiming the CDC’s eviction moratorium was unconstitutional under the Fifth Amendment. The decision marks a significant victory for property owners. By upholding the Darby ruling, the court maintains the legal framework that protects housing providers against uncompensated government takings and reaffirms that landlords have the right to pursue compensation claims for losses suffered during the CDC eviction moratorium. The case may still go to the U.S. Supreme Court for review, however. Read more here.
Weekly Report for June 20, 2025
REALTOR® Priority Bills Pass at the End of State Legislative Session
The State Legislature concluded this year’s legislative calendar as the Assembly gaveled out just after midnight on Tuesday, June 17. The Senate concluded its business in the early hours on Friday, June 13. So far, in 2025 alone, NYSAR staff has reviewed thousands of bills while actively tracking daily progress of about 1,200 bills positively or negatively impacting REALTORS® and real estate in general. During the final days and weeks of session, NYSAR’s lobbying efforts saw successful passage two priority bills by both houses. The introduction and passage of these bills come after the review and direction of NYSAR member-driven Committees, including the Education Management and Legislative Steering committees.
The first bill limits certain “real estate service agreements”, including residential listing agreements, to a duration of no more than two years with an option for agreed upon renewals (A.5886-C/S.6361-B) in order to curb predatory long-term listing agreements of up to 30 to 40 years. NYSAR successfully advocated for an amendment increasing the duration to two years rather than the initial version of the bill limiting the duration of a service agreement to one year. The second bill approved by both the Senate and Assembly increases the number of years of experience required to obtain a real estate broker’s license from two years to five years (A.7691/S.5197). This bill was introduced to NYSAR’s legislative priority list several years ago following REALTOR® discussions and concerns around the impacts that a lack of broker experience has on transactions and supervision of salespersons and office managers. Both bills will be sent to Governor Hochul for her consideration before the end of the year.
NYSAR also heavily engaged state lawmakers to oppose several harmful bills working their way through the legislative process. Lobbying efforts saw the successful defeat of legislation (REST Act) that would have greatly expanded the authority of municipalities outside of New York City to declare a housing emergency for the purposes of adopting rent control (A.4877-A/S.4659-A). Extensive meetings and conversations with state lawmakers and staff also resulted in the defeat of legislation that would have authorized any municipality to create a Community Housing Fund (A.331/S.572). NYSAR opposed this bill on the basis that the funds’ revenue source would be supplied by imposing an additional real estate transfer tax on the buyer.
Update: Amended PCDS must be used beginning July 1, 2025
On September 27, 2024, Governor Hochul signed into law an amendment to the Property Condition Disclosure Statement (PCDS) which added a new paragraph as part of question 36. The new paragraph states, “More information on “septic system operation and maintenance” can be found on the NYS Department of Health website in the informational health pamphlet made available by the Department of Health pursuant to section 396-s of NYS general business law”. The newly amended PCDS must be used beginning July 1, 2025. A copy of the newly amended PCDS can be found here.
NYC Democratic Primary Election for Mayor – Tuesday June 24
New York City voters will decide the next Democratic mayoral candidate in this year’s primary election on Tuesday, June 24. While nine candidates will be on the Democratic ballot, former Governor Andrew Cuomo and current Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani are the frontrunners according to several recent polls. Current New York City Mayor Eric Adams is running for reelection as an independent and will appear on the ballot in the November general election, as will Curtis Sliwa on the Republican line. Read more here.
Weekly Report for June 13, 2025
Senate advances REALTOR®-supported legislation increasing broker experience requirements and prohibiting predatory long-term listing agreements
NYSAR’s lobbying efforts resulted in Senate passage of REALTOR® supported legislation that would increase the number of years of experience as a salesperson to obtain a broker’s license from two years to five years (S.5426/A.7691) and prohibit long-term listing agreements over two years (S.6361-B/A.5886-C). Efforts to get these bills passed in the Assembly are ongoing. The State Senate concluded its legislative work in the early hours of Friday morning following a flurry of bill approvals. They are not scheduled to return to Albany until January. The Assembly is scheduled to remain in Albany until at least Tuesday to complete its work.
NYSAR meets with Council Member Dinowitz on coop transparency bill
On Tuesday, NYSAR staff along with the Hudson Gateway Association of REALTORS® met with New York City Council Member Eric Dinowitz (Bronx) to request his support for city legislation that would provide a reasonable timeline and transparency throughout the coop purchase process (Int. 1120). The productive meeting has been part of a series of meetings NYSAR and REALTOR® members have held with New York City officials over the last several months to garner support for the bill. The issue remains a top priority for NYSAR in the city as sponsorship for the bill continues to grow.
Update on NYC FARE Act Law now in effect
On Wednesday, a new law in New York City, known as the Fairness in Apartment Rental Expenses (FARE) Act, took effect changing the broker fee practice. The new law requires that a broker fee be paid for by whomever hired such broker, essentially prohibiting landlords from passing on a broker fee onto a tenant if that broker was hired by the landlord. NYSAR strongly opposed the legislation and warned that enactment would increase base rents. Already, increases in rents are being reported as a result of this new law. NYSAR was also part of a federal lawsuit against the city challenging the law and requesting an injunction. On Tuesday, a judge denied the preliminary injunction however did not dismiss the case, so the law remains enforceable for now. The city Department of Consumer and Worker Protection can fine brokers and companies that violate the law by charging or even requesting a fee. The fines start at $750 for first-time offenders, $1,800 for second offenses and $2,000 thereafter. Read more here.
Weekly Report for June 6, 2025
New York REALTORS® Push for Housing Supply in Washington
This week, REALTORS® from across New York attended NAR’s REALTORS® Legislative Meetings in Washington D.C. During the week-long event, NYSAR members, led by respective Federal Political Coordinators (FPC’s), held individual meetings with New York’s Congressional delegation to discuss critical real estate issues, including housing supply, federal tax reform, independent contractor status and expanded health care options for REALTOR® members. The annual REALTORS® Legislative Meetings provide a unique opportunity for REALTORS® across the country to advocate for the real estate industry. Read more here.
NYSAR submits testimony before NYC Council against proposal delaying sales
One June 3, NYSAR submitted formal testimony before the New York City Council in opposition to Int. 902, which would establish a right of first opportunity to purchase for qualified entities, prior to a building with 3 or more units being listed for sale. If enacted, the bill would, severely impair the ability of REALTORS® and other licensed real estate professionals to effectively and efficiently serve consumers looking to buy and sell multifamily properties in New York City. Property owners of these buildings would be required to notify HPD at least 180 days prior to actions taken to sell the building. Once the notice of sale is provided, the bill would establish a 120-day waiting period in which qualified entities may submit offers to purchase the building, during which time, the property owner may not accept any other offers. Read NYSAR’s testimony here.
NYSAR Lobbying Leads to Movement on Priority Legislation
This week, NYSAR staff continued to meet with state lawmakers to advocate for passage of REALTOR®-supported legislation while also urging defeat of legislation that would be harmful for real estate businesses. NYSAR-supported bills to prohibit predatory long-term listing agreements (S.6361-A/A.5886-C) and to lift current restrictions on telemarketing during states of emergency (S.6853/A.1250) both advanced in committee in the Assembly. NYSAR continues to oppose several bills, however, that would increase real estate taxes, expand rent control, raise costs on property owners, and make it more difficult to run a small business. Both houses of the legislature are predicted to hold lengthy session days next week as the 2025 session comes to an end.
First televised debate for NYC Mayor Democratic primary airs
The first televised debate between the nine Democratic primary candidates for New York City Mayor aired live Wednesday ahead of the June 24 primary election. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is the current frontrunner according to recent polling, garnered much of the attention from the other candidates, while housing, affordability and federal policies were focal points during the debate. A second debate is set for June 12. Read more here.