Ensure Contractor Invoices Prove Cost of Improvement Rent Hikes

When a rent-stabilized tenant complains to the Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) about a rent overcharge, owners often submit contractors’ invoices as proof of the cost of the equipment installed in or other improvements made to the tenant’s apartment. Invoices can help owners show that they’re entitled to collect a rent hike of either 1/40th or 1/60th of the cost of the improvement.