Requires landlords to replace a lock on a tenant's door when requested by a victim of domestic violence
Summary
Requires landlords to replace a lock on a tenant's dwelling door within 24 hours of a request by a tenant who is a victim of domestic violence; provides civil penalties for violations in relation thereto.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 10, 2025
Last action May 12, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
A1640
→
A1640A
·
5 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended to simplify the tenant's request process by removing the requirement for a police report and allowing a written attestation instead. It also added a new right for tenants to change their own locks and deduct the cost from rent if the landlord fails to act within 24 hours, while clarifying that this protection only applies when the abuser is not a lawful occupant of the unit.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded from the Real Property Law to include the Multiple Dwelling Law, and the applicability was narrowed to exclude situations where the perpetrator is a lawful occupant of the dwelling.
ELIGIBILITY
Proof of domestic violence no longer requires a police report or court document; a tenant's written attestation stating they reasonably fear further violence is now sufficient.
REQUIREMENT
Landlords are now explicitly prohibited from charging tenants any additional rent, deposit, or fee for replacing the lock.
ENFORCEMENT
Tenants are granted the right to change the lock themselves and deduct the cost from future rent if the landlord fails to comply within 24 hours.
SCOPE
The protections in the bill now apply to tenants in multiple dwellings, not just those under the Real Property Law.
The bill now explicitly excludes cases where the perpetrator of the domestic violence is a lawful occupant of the dwelling unit.
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
5
Key actions
2
Committee
3
Amendments
2
May 12, 2026
Committee
REPORTED REFERRED TO CODES
lower
May 8, 2026
Lower · Passed
PRINT NUMBER 1640A
lower
May 8, 2026
Lower · Passed
AMEND (T) AND RECOMMIT TO HOUSING
lower
Jan 7, 2026
Committee
REFERRED TO HOUSING
lower
Jan 10, 2025
Committee
REFERRED TO HOUSING
lower
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor
Sponsors
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