Statement on City Council passing permanent Certificate of No Harassment (CONH) program

August 13, 2026

For Immediate Release: 
August 13, 2026

Contact:
Emily Goldstein
Emily.g@anhd.org
917-921-2978

The Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development (ANHD) celebrates the passage of Intro 839-A, which permanently establishes the Citywide Certificate of No Harassment (CONH) program, improves upon the existing program structure, and adds new protections against immigration status-related harassment. ANHD particularly thanks Council Member Pierina Sanchez, Chair of the Committee on Housing and Buildings and Primary Sponsor of Intro 839-A, for fostering a community-led process that has elevated the areas of success for CONH and opportunities for improvement.

In 2017, confronting rampant tenant harassment designed to force tenants out of their homes, the ANHD-led Coalition Against Tenant Harassment (CATH) worked with allies in the City Council to pass a pilot expansion of the CONH program beyond the Clinton Special District. Starting in select community districts, the program was expanded citywide after 4 years. Over this period, the program has been shown to be effective at identifying properties where tenants are at risk of harassment and to be associated with reductions in violations.

This kind of harassment remains far too prevalent, however, and tenants face an uphill battle to secure formal findings of harassment – making the CONH program all the more vital as a proactive intervention. Intro 839-A improves the program in notable ways:

  • Responding to a spike in harassment related to tenants’ real or presumed immigration status, the bill expands the definition of tenant harassment to solidify protections for immigrant New Yorkers. Additionally, the bill adds new requirements for interagency coordination between HPD, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA), and the Commission on Civil and Human Rights (CCHR) to identify and respond to instances of discrimination and harassment. 
  • The pilot phase also revealed the need for a pathway for tenants to appeal a CONH after it has been granted – for example in instances where harassment begins after a CONH is granted or where evidence of harassment has been suppressed. Intro 839-A provides for such a pathway, strengthens the requirements for tenant notification throughout the CONH investigation process, and expressly prohibits landlord interference in the investigation. 
  • Harassment in one building is often part of a pattern of predatory behavior. The bill therefore extends CONH protections to all buildings with the same owner as a building where there is demonstrated evidence of harassment. 
  • To ensure regular assessment of program outcomes and areas for improvement, Intro 839-A adds specific reporting requirements for HPD following each program cycle. 
  • Finally, recognizing that one of the most common forms of neglect and harassment is lack of maintenance and essential repairs, the bill incentivizes landlords of buildings in physical distress to make significant improvements in building conditions and to clear the worst violations.

“The Certification of No Harassment (CONH) program was created to deter owners from using construction to harass their tenants, and this revamp comes at a pivotal time for immigrant New Yorkers facing rising attacks from the federal government,” said NYC Council Member Pierina Sanchez, Chair of the Committee on Housing and Buildings. “With the passage of Int. 839-A, CONH will become a permanent tool at the City’s disposal to prevent harassment—including on the basis of immigration status. For the last 8 years, CONH has yielded real results, monitoring problematic buildings and improving living conditions across the city. This legislation builds on that success and meets the moment. I thank my colleagues for their support, our partners at HPD for their partnership and stewardship of the program, and the steadfast advocates who have led this decade-long fight to expand tenant protections.”

“ANHD has been fighting against harassment alongside organizers and tenants for decades, and the Certificate of No Harassment program has been a key tool to disincentivize harassment and hold bad actors accountable,” said Emily Goldstein, Director of Advocacy and Policy at the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development (ANHD). “Today, we are proud to see the CONH program made permanent, expanded to cover more buildings, and improved to better protect the rights of vulnerable tenants throughout New York City. We are grateful for Housing Chair Sanchez’s partnership on this issue, and we will continue to work with our members on the ground to ensure that all tenants have the right to safe, secure, and affordable housing.”

“Far too many tenants in our community have to deal with harassment from the people who own and manage their homes,” said Mercedes Escoto, a community leader with CASA (Community Action for Safe Apartments) in the Southwest Bronx. “We are glad that our city government is taking this issue seriously, and we especially appreciate that this bill recognizes how threats related to immigration status can be a tool to push us out or to prevent us from speaking up. There is still much more work to be done in making sure nobody is made to feel unsafe, unwelcome, or at risk of retaliation in their own home.”

“Tenant harassment is not an isolated building problem — it is a strategy bad landlords use to force people from their homes, often across entire portfolios. Making the Certificate of No Harassment program permanent and strengthening it through Intro 839-A gives tenants another tool to fight back. We particularly welcome stronger protections for immigrant New Yorkers facing threats tied to their immigration status and greater scrutiny of landlords with a demonstrated pattern of harassment. Met Council on Housing urges the City Council to pass this legislation and continue strengthening enforcement against owners who profit from displacement.” — Darius Khalil Gordon, Executive Director, Met Council on Housing

“As ICE has ramped up in our communities in NYC, landlords have become more emboldened to use immigration status to harass and push working class families out of their homes. This is unacceptable and we need stronger laws to truly protect our communities against these injustices. Implementing the Citywide Certificate of No Harassment (CONH) program will hold landlords accountable not just for tenant harassment but, in addition, harassment based on immigration status. Our communities need protection against tenant harassment which is why Intro 839-A is so necessary. NYC residents should feel safe in their homes and not worry they are at the mercy at the whims of a bad landlord.” – Denise Rebeil, Housing and Environmental Justice Lead Organizer, Make the Road New York

“Certificate of No Harassment (CONH) law has been an integral protection for Single Room Occupancy (SRO) Housing for decades. When working effectively, CONH law can help ensure that work done at buildings supports tenant interests rather than displacement — but too often landlords have found loopholes. In SRO buildings where Cooper Square has organized, we have seen landlords manipulate tenant participation in CONH proceedings, increase harassment after a CONH has been secured, and claim that the lack of a CONH prevents them from making important building repairs. Intro 839 was built off of tenant experience and input and includes changes to address these loopholes. Some exciting amendments include better notice requirements about the CONH process for tenants, tenant petitions to rescind a CONH that has been granted, and incentives to improve building conditions quickly. This law is a huge step towards improving tenant protections and preventing tenant harassment. We are hopeful that some of these legislative amendments will soon be added to SRO law as well.”
– Anna Baker-Heans, Tenant Organizer at Cooper Square Committee