{"id":247,"date":"2026-08-14T18:30:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T18:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/pierina-ana-sanchez\/?p=247"},"modified":"2026-08-14T18:30:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T18:30:16","slug":"council-member-pierina-sanchez-celebrates-the-codification-of-the-certification-of-no-harassment-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/pierina-ana-sanchez\/2026\/08\/14\/council-member-pierina-sanchez-celebrates-the-codification-of-the-certification-of-no-harassment-program\/","title":{"rendered":"COUNCIL MEMBER PIERINA SANCHEZ CELEBRATES THE CODIFICATION OF THE CERTIFICATION OF NO HARASSMENT PROGRAM"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>BRONX, NY<\/strong> (August 13, 2026) &#8211; After the passage of <a href=\"https:\/\/legistar.council.nyc.gov\/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7978190&amp;GUID=75D7AA18-779C-4C2C-82B5-BCA0D43C74D1&amp;Options=&amp;Search=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Int. 839-A<\/a>, which will strengthen and permanently codify the Certification of No Harassment program, <strong>NYC Council Member Pierina Sanchez, Chair of the Committee on Housing and Buildings<\/strong>, shared the following:&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEvery tenant deserves to live free from harassment, regardless of their immigration status. At a time when the federal government is targeting immigrant communities, New York City must ensure that each of our neighbors receives the strongest possible tenant protections. This is how we build a city that is safe and welcoming for all.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cToday, the Council has taken an important step toward that city, enacting Int. 839-A to make the Certification of No Harassment Program permanent and stronger. The revamped program will monitor problematic landlord portfolios, expand anti-harassment protections for immigrant tenants, and create stronger incentives for owners to improve living conditions in their buildings. Over the past 8 years, the CONH program successfully deterred harassment and now, we are ensuring that it becomes a permanent tool at the City\u2019s disposal.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFinally, I want to extend my gratitude to the coalition of tenant organizers and legal service providers whose partnership made this legislation possible. The leadership of the Association for Neighborhood &amp; Housing Development (ANHD) and the Coalition Against Tenant Harassment deserve tremendous credit for their steadfast advocacy over the past decade. Going forward, I am excited to work with our City agencies who have stewarded this program to ensure its continued success, and I remain committed to the fight for safe and dignified homes.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>BACKGROUND<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Certification of No Harassment program was created to deter owners from using construction to harass and displace tenants from their homes. The City Council first enacted CONH through <a href=\"https:\/\/legistar.council.nyc.gov\/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=1681072&amp;GUID=7D25EC9E-252A-437E-A169-5736A26BD901\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Local Law 1 of 2018<\/a>, sponsored by former CM Lander and created in partnership with the <a href=\"https:\/\/anhd.org\/project\/coalition-against-tenant-harassment-cath\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Coalition Against Tenant Harassment<\/a>.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Immigrant New Yorkers face increasing threats of harassment. Tenant organizers and legal service providers have reported a troubling rise in landlords targeting tenants based on their immigration status\u2014including <a href=\"https:\/\/gothamist.com\/news\/more-nyc-landlords-threatening-tenants-with-calls-to-ice-lawyers-say\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">threatening to call ICE<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/qns.com\/2025\/06\/sunnyside-tenants-say-harassment-ice-threats-used-to-force-them-out\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">refusing to perform basic maintenance<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/documentedny.com\/2026\/04\/21\/nyc-city-council-immigrant-tenants-protection\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">leaving tenants without heat for a full decade<\/a>. This was documented once again at the Council\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/legistar.council.nyc.gov\/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1399057&amp;GUID=6921552A-E68B-4E7B-A119-5C943D8E5FD6&amp;Options=&amp;Search=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hearing<\/a> on Int 839 in April 2026.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The bill responds in five key ways:\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Makes the program permanent<\/strong>. After two four-year pilots, CONH has proved itself to be a useful tool for identifying buildings with high risk of harassment, deterring bad behavior, and improving building conditions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ol start=\"2\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Expands protection for immigrant tenants<\/strong>. The bill responds to rising harassment in two ways:\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Expands the definition of tenant harassment to include (1) landlords threatening to report tenants to ICE and (2) landlords refusing to perform maintenance on the basis of a tenant\u2019s immigration or citizenship status\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Connects tenants with the Mayor\u2019s Office of Immigrant Affairs and CCHR if they have filed (or wish to file) a report of unlawful discrimination on the basis of their immigration or citizenship status\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"3\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Monitors problematic portfolios<\/strong>. Corporate landlords evade scrutiny of their full portfolios through the cover of LLCs. To address this, the bill requires HPD to review all buildings that share the same owner as a building with a recent finding of harassment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ol start=\"4\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Creates stronger incentives to clear violations<\/strong>. The bill adds a new pathway to allow buildings to exit the CONH program. However, to qualify, an owner must significantly improve living conditions for their tenants. HPD conducts a floor-to-cellar inspection of the property to ensure no owner can game the system.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ol start=\"5\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Clarifies that basic repairs have been and continue to be allowed<\/strong>. A common misconception of the program is that it prevents owners from doing routine maintenance. That is false.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The law clearly defines which types of work require a CONH. A building must already be on the CONH List, and the work must rise to the level of a significant renovation or demolition. Any work that is not \u201ccovered\u201d can proceed without a CONH.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">##&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>BRONX, NY<\/strong> (August 13, 2026) &#8211; After the passage of <a href=\"https:\/\/legistar.council.nyc.gov\/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7978190&amp;GUID=75D7AA18-779C-4C2C-82B5-BCA0D43C74D1&amp;Options=&amp;Search=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Int. 839-A<\/a>, which will strengthen and permanently codify the Certification of No Harassment program, <strong>NYC Council Member Pierina Sanchez, Chair of the Committee on Housing and Buildings<\/strong>, shared the following:&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery tenant deserves to live free from harassment, regardless of their immigration status.<\/p>\n<p>&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><strong><small><a href=\"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/pierina-ana-sanchez\/2026\/08\/14\/council-member-pierina-sanchez-celebrates-the-codification-of-the-certification-of-no-harassment-program\/\">READ MORE<\/a><\/small><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":317,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-housing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/pierina-ana-sanchez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/pierina-ana-sanchez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/pierina-ana-sanchez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/pierina-ana-sanchez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/317"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/pierina-ana-sanchez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/pierina-ana-sanchez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":248,"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/pierina-ana-sanchez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247\/revisions\/248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/pierina-ana-sanchez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/pierina-ana-sanchez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/pierina-ana-sanchez\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}