Advocates for Rochester renters calling for more protection from city lawmakers

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) —The city tenant union and Free the People ROC rallied at the Rochester Public Market Saturday morning.

They’re calling for Mayor Evans and the city council to pass legislation to make it harder for landlords to evict tenants and limit how much rent can go up. The groups are also calling for a special working group to address tenant’s issues.

"They’re not doing repairs, they’re not taking care of the safety of the property," said Wanda Cooper with the Tenants’ Rights Association. "Things can break, and instead of them fixing it, they rig it, and it can break again. We need them to fix it with equality and as if it was their own home."

The state’s coronavirus moratorium on evictions expired last month. Advocates argue landlords can evict people without a good cause. and they often aren’t taking care of their responsibilities.