Despite the prevailing myth that residential evictions are surging in New York City, the reality is quite different. This false argument was often used to support the idea of implementing “good-cause eviction” laws, which would have made it very difficult to remove non-paying tenants. However, the truth is that evictions did increase in 2022 and 2023, but only due to a backlog of cases from the Covid-era eviction moratorium in effect until mid-January 2022. The recent comparison of evictions should be made with the years before 2020, where there were actually fewer evictions in 2023 compared to 2019.
The New York Times’ coverage of the supposed surge in evictions painted a false picture of renters being thrown out onto the streets wholesale. Other media outlets echoed similar sentiments, with Gothamist reporting that evictions were surging across the city and Patch claiming that evictions were up nearly 200 percent. However, the actual numbers tell a different story. Evictions in 2023 were substantially lower than in 2019 and were barely half the previous 20-year average, excluding the moratorium period. For instance, there were over 25,000 evictions in 2015 alone, compared to just 12,139 in 2023.
These statistics come from the New York City Rent Guideline’s Board’s 2024 Income and Affordability Study, a source that cannot be considered a tool of landlords. The numbers lay out the facts plainly, showing that the narrative of surging evictions in New York City is simply not accurate. While there was an increase in evictions in 2022 and 2023, it was a result of the backlog of cases from the eviction moratorium and not a true reflection of the current eviction landscape in the city.
The notion of escalating evictions has been used to push for more tenant protections and stricter eviction laws. However, the data shows that the actual number of evictions in New York City is lower than in previous years. The idea of implementing “good-cause eviction” laws to protect tenants from being removed from their homes may not be as necessary as once thought if the eviction numbers are actually decreasing. This revelation challenges the prevailing narrative of a housing crisis caused by surging evictions in the city.
The reality of evictions in New York City does not align with the prevailing myths. While the media may have portrayed a surge in evictions, the actual numbers tell a different story. With fewer evictions in 2023 compared to previous years and a significant decrease from the previous 20-year average, the narrative of escalating evictions in the city is not supported by the data. It is essential to separate fact from fiction when it comes to understanding the true state of residential evictions in New York City.
