Ann Korchak, board president of Small Property Owners of New York (SPONY), said, “We have consistently argued that Albany increasingly dictates how private property owners can operate their buildings. This is yet another example. Central to our concerns is the safety and liability factors. Are tenants going to hire licensed electricians? Will improperly installed panels fall from a tenant’s window or balcony, or start a fire? Will panels interfere with emergency egress? Insurance carriers will raise our premiums when they measure the risks of tenants performing construction on property they don’t own. Property owners should be the only ones allowed to do construction of any kind on the facades, roofs, balconies, and anywhere within or outside the structure, especially when it involves older properties. When things go wrong, when the city imposes fines, property owners, and not the tenants, will be liable.”

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S8512/amendment