On August 5 2014 Bill S5212A-2013 was signed into law. The effective date of the law is 120 days after it was signed which mean on November 5, 2014 all residential leases from that date on will need to abide by this new law.
In short , bill S5212A-2013 requires that all new residential leases from January 1st 2014 must make notice in bold of whether there is a maintained are operating sprinkler system in the leased property. According to N.Y. Executive Law 155-A a sprinkler system is “a system of piping and appurtenances designed and installed in accordance with generally accepted standards so that heat from a fire will automatically cause water to be discharged over the fire area to extinguish it or prevent its further spread”. In addition the lease must state when the last time the system underwent maintenance and inspection.
The Justification for the law is in response to a fire that took place on January 21st 2012. This fire was especially devastating as it killed three young adults who were attending Marist College. Their off campus home was not equipped with sprinkler system as only newly built apartments outside the “big 5” cities in New York need to have a sprinkler system installed. The fire that killed these young adult was so strong and fast that they have no chance to escape.
Therefore, the goal of the law is to inform individuals who are signing a lease about the apartment’s sprinkler system so that they can make a more informed choice especially considering that smoke alarms and a sprinkler system give residence an 80% better chance of surviving a fire.
While this law was created to protect tenants it will be the responsibility of the property owner to make sure all new leases include the proper information. Laws new requirements and law like Bill S5212A-2013 are passed all the time that is why instead of trying to keep up with the changing legal landscape, residential property owners need to have a Property management system that is up to date. RISSoft is the best commercial property management software because they make sure their lease management software is up to date. RISSoft has already updated their software for property management to notify their users via email and in written notices and have updated the leases to follow the new law. So while other property management software companies are rushing to update their software, RISSoft is already ahead of the curve saving their clients time and money on a daily basis.
*The author of this blog is not a legal expert and this article should not be considered and this blog post should not be used in lieu of proper legal guidance