Newburgh takes up tenant accountability

City looking over Kingston law

On Thursday, Newburgh's City Council discussed a Kingston law that holds tenants accountable for maintaining rental properties. July 10, 2014Leonard Sparks/Times Herald-Record

By Leonard Sparks

Published: 2:00 AM - 07/11/14

CITY OF NEWBURGH Eula Brock remembers them, a group of hard-drinking tenants who once rented the first floor of the building she owns on Carpenter Avenue in the City of Newburgh.

They drank and they dirtied, littering the property and overwhelming her patience.

"I actually had to get rid of them, they were so nasty," she said. "If you don't have clean tenants, after a while, you'll have destruction."

Newburgh's landlords have long complained that the city's code punishes them for damage caused by tenants without holding those renters accountable.

Some see the solution in Kingston, whose officials approved in 2012 a Tenant Accountability Act, making renters share responsibility for keeping properties clean and safe

The council discussed Kingston's law on Thursday, agreeing to create a task force that will bring landlords and tenants together around the issue.

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Newburgh takes up tenant accountability