Feature

Follow Seven Dos & Don’ts When Preparing and Delivering Rent Demands

November 12, 2019    
Before you can sue to evict a tenant for not paying the rent, you must send the tenant a legal notice known as a “rent demand.” In it, you ask the tenant to pay the rent owed and give him a chance to pay before starting a nonpayment proceeding. Although this seems simple enough, a...
Rent Increases

DHCR Updates MCI Application Form, Useful Life Schedule

November 12, 2019    
The passage of the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (HSTPA) significantly curtailed rent increases owners could get for major capital improvements (MCIs) and increased oversight by the DHCR. When owners make improvements or installations to a building subject to the rent...
Management Basics

City Can Freeze SCRIE/DRIE Rent at Preferential Level

November 12, 2019    
The Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act (HSTPA) made it possible to freeze rents at preferential rates for qualifying New Yorkers. The de Blasio administration has released guidance regarding renter rights under the HSTPA. This guidance will allow New Yorkers who pay preferential rents in...
Q & A

Allowing Electronic Signatures on Rent-Stabilized Leases

November 12, 2019    
Q It seems as though younger tenants want to do everything online and enjoy the convenience of electronically signing documents. Can I offer rent-stabilized renewal leases by electronic means?
In the News

Queens Owners Settle $1M Discrimination Case

November 12, 2019    
Former owners of a rental building in Far Rockaway have agreed to pay $1 million to settle a federal lawsuit accusing them of discriminating against people who had been incarcerated. The lawsuit claimed that the owner refused to rent apartments to applicants who had served time in prison. The case...
In the News

Council Considers Regulating Biometric Data at Apartment Buildings

November 12, 2019    
The City Council’s Committee on Housing and Buildings recently received a bill that would require building owners to provide residents with mechanical keys to their buildings and individual apartments. This would allow residents to bypass keyless entry systems, which can include facial...
Landlord v. Tenant

Landlord v. Tenant: December 2019

November 12, 2019    
MAJOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS MCI Increase Granted for New Garage Roof that Doubled as Courtyard   Landlord applied for MCI rent hikes based on the installation of a new garage roof that functioned as a courtyard. The DRA ruled for landlord but disallowed the costs of the garage walls and...
Feature

How to Request Additional Time to Correct HPD Violations

October 11, 2019    
When you get a violation notice from the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), it will specify a deadline for correcting the violation. HPD issues violations to owners of buildings that don’t meet the standards of the city’s Housing Maintenance Code and...
Management Basics

Building Owner Heating Obligations as Heating Season Begins

October 11, 2019    
During the previous “heat season,” the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) fielded 232,621 heat complaints, an increase of 8.1 percent compared to the previous heat season. The current heat season begins on Oct. 1 and continues through May 31, 2020. During this time...
Management Basics

DHCR Decreases A/C Rent Surcharge for 2019–20

October 11, 2019    
The Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) recently announced a decrease in this year’s air-conditioner rent surcharge for owners who pay for electricity. It set the monthly surcharge at $24.94, down $1.48 from $26.42 last year. This year’s decrease reflects a 5.61 percent...
Related Tools: 2019-20 A/C Rent Surcharge Charts
See all latest stories