Feature

Ask Judge to Order Use & Occupancy Payment in Eviction Case

August 18, 2017    
If you sue to evict a tenant in housing court for a reason other than nonpayment of rent (such as nonprimary residence), the law says you’re entitled to what’s known as “use and occupancy” (U & O). Getting U & O while your case is pending is critical, since eviction...
Rent Increases

How to Calculate RGBO #49 Vacancy Lease Increases

August 18, 2017    
If you sign a vacancy lease with a tenant between Oct. 1, 2017, and Sept. 30, 2018, the new order issued on June 27 by the Rent Guidelines Board (RGB)—RGBO #49—lets you collect the vacancy increases permitted under the Rent Regulation Reform Act of 1997 (RRRA).
Related Tools: RGBO #49 Rent Computation Form for Vacancy Leases
In the News

City Council Passes Package of Anti-Harassment and Tenant Safety Bills

August 18, 2017    
The New York City Council recently passed a package of bills intended to provide tenants greater protection from landlord harassment and unsafe conditions. Several of the bills redefine the legal parameters of tenant harassment. Some of the bills also change penalties for harassment. Others were...
Feature

Evict Tenant Who Doesn't Get Renewal Lease Signed by Guarantor

July 27, 2017    
Suppose you sign an initial lease with a rent-stabilized tenant and require the tenant to get a guarantor to guarantee payment of the rent. At renewal time, the tenant returns the renewal lease without the guarantor’s signature. According to the DHCR and a housing court case, you are not...
Related Tools: Demand Guarantor for Renewal Lease
Rent Increases

Take 1.25% and 2% Rent Increases for Renewal Leases

July 27, 2017    
On June 27, 2017, the New York City Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) issued an order—RGBO #49—setting the rent increases you may take for rent-stabilized tenants in New York City on leases beginning anytime on or after Oct. 1, 2017, through Sept. 30, 2018. This order represents the first...
Related Tools: RGBO #49 Rent Computation Form
In the News

City Council Enacts Low-Income Tenants’ Right to Counsel

July 27, 2017    
The New York City Council recently enacted legislation establishing a right to counsel for low-income tenants in Housing Court. Currently, the bill is awaiting the mayor’s signature before it can become law. The bill, Int. 214-A, was proposed more than two years ago but wasn’t brought...
In the News

De Blasio Announces $32M Neighborhood Rat Reduction Plan

July 27, 2017    
Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced a $32 million, multi-agency plan to reduce the city’s rat population that targets the three most infested parts of city: the Grand Concourse area, Chinatown/East Village/Lower East Side, and Bushwick/Bedford-Stuyvesant. This interagency initiative aims...
In the News

Council Speaker Hopefuls Urge City to Reform Property Tax System

July 27, 2017    
City Council speaker hopefuls are urging the de Blasio administration to support a lawsuit challenging the city’s property tax system. Council members Donovan Richards, Mark Levine, Corey Johnson, Ritchie Torres, and Jumaane Williams, all of whom, except Torres, have shown interest in running...
Landlord v. Tenant

Landlord v. Tenant: August 2017

July 27, 2017    
RENT OVERCHARGE Landlord Not Required to Seek Lowest Cost for IAIs Tenant complained of rent overcharge. The DRA ruled for tenant and ordered landlord to refund $89, including interest. Tenant appealed and lost. The DRA had calculated the legal rent based on a vacancy increase, longevity increase,...
Feature

Avoid HPD Violations by Having Employees Routinely Check for Six Key Defects

June 22, 2017    
When a Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) inspector visits your building in response to a tenant’s complaint, the inspector won’t simply check the problem the tenant has complained about. The inspector will also check the tenant’s apartment for six defects...
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