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RSA and CHIP Officially Join Forces to Form New Landlord Lobbying Group
Assemblyman Kenny Burgos speaks during a rally for NYC Mayoral candidate Andrew Yang on May 2021. PHOTO: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
The Rent Stabilization Association (RSA) and the Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP) have officially joined forces to form a new landlord lobbying group called the New York Apartment Association.
The new organization has been created after more than a yearlong process between the two groups, both of which represent owners of rent-stabilized buildings in New York City. The now-combined groups hope to give landlords a single unifying lobbying group to work for their interests, according to The Real Deal, which first reported the news.
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The merger got the green light after New York Attorney General Letitia James signed off on it this summer, making way for RSA and CHIP to officially announce their new identity this week as the New York Apartment Association, TRD reported.
RSA officials declined to comment, while a spokesperson for CHIP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Former New York State Assembly member Kenny Burgos is expected to lead the New York Apartment Association after abruptly stepping down from his post in July, as Commercial Observer previously reported. Burgos did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, RSA President Joseph Strasburg is set to move to a consultant role in the new group, TRD reported. It’s unclear what role CHIP Executive Director Jay Martin will have in the merger.
RSA and CHIP began discussions about merging the landlord groups in October 2023 after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected their 2019 case to dismantle New York’s rent stabilization law, CO reported at the time.Â
Both groups continued to push back against what they felt was restrictive rent reform and urged the state government to allow landlords to rent units at market rates after making costly repairs. The groups also sought lower property taxes on older buildings.
It remains to be seen what kind of role the newly formed New York Apartment Association plays in representing the city’s landlords.
Isabelle Durso can be reached at idurso@commercialobserver.com.
Jay Martin, Joseph Strasburg, Kenny Burgos, Community Housing Improvement Program, New York Apartment Association, Rent Stabilization Association
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