a. A person who is required to file a statement of registration or an amendment of a statement of registration or any other statement required under this article and who fails to file as required shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than five hundred dollars and not more than one thousand five hundred dollars for a multiple dwelling containing five or less dwelling units, and not less than one thousand dollars and not more than five thousand dollars for a multiple dwelling containing more than five dwelling units, recoverable by the department by civil action in a court of appropriate jurisdiction pursuant to the provisions of article two of subchapter five of this chapter.
a-1. A person who is required to file a statement of registration or an amendment of a statement of registration or any other statement required under this article and who provides false information on any such statement shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than seven hundred and fifty dollars and not more than five thousand dollars, recoverable by the department by civil action in a court of appropriate jurisdiction pursuant to the provisions of article two of subchapter five of this chapter. The department shall invalidate any statement required under this article that has been found to contain false information.
b. An owner who is required to file a statement of registration under this article and who fails to file as required shall be denied the right to recover possession of the premises for nonpayment of rent during the period of noncompliance, and shall, in the discretion of the court, suffer a stay of proceedings to recover rents, during such period. In any action to recover possession under section seven hundred eleven of the real property actions and proceedings law, the owner shall set forth his or her registration number issued by the department, and shall allege that he or she has filed a statement of registration and shall annex a copy of the receipt of such registration to his or her petition.
(Am. L.L. 2023/071, 6/11/2023, eff. 12/8/2023)