Cuomo extends eviction protections for New Yorkers until end of August

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Tenants in New York won't have to worry about being evicted if they can't pay rent, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Thursday, as he extended a lifeline to renters facing hardships due to the coronavirus pandemic until the end of August.

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Cuomo extended a moratorium on evictions for another 60 days -- now in effect until Aug. 20 -- and said renters will be able to use their security deposits as partial payment. In addition, late-payment fees are banned from being applied.

"The No. 1 issue that people talk to me about probably is rent, and fear about being able to pay their rent, and this just takes that issue off the table until Aug. 20," Cuomo said at his daily coronavirus briefing. 

The protections, which were set to expire in June, apply to both residential and commercial tenants, and Cuomo says he hopes "it gives families a deep breath” in the state hit harder than anywhere else in the country.

Landlords worrying about the loss of income could also be the recipient of potential relief funds from banks, a plan that is currently in the works, Cuomo said.

"There is no doubt a trade-off between the tenant and the landlord," he said. "We are helping the landlords also, but on a human level I don't want to see people and their children being evicted at this time, through no fault of their own."

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The governor said the extension is meant to waive off uncertainty surrounding rent payments for the next few months, but beyond that, the state is still trying to map out a plan.

"We'll see what happens between now and then. Nobody can really tell you what the future is," he said.