The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently proposed increasing the New York City water and sewer rates by 2.36 percent to the NYC Water Board. Water Board rates are based on the cost of providing utility services and servicing outstanding debts that relate to water...
The City Council recently passed several resolutions calling on the State Legislature to strengthen rent laws. Although the state law on rent regulation doesn’t expire until next June, it’s possible that the State Legislature may pursue the renewal of rent laws before the end of its...
A judge recently ordered a Tribeca rent-stabilized artist to leave her apartment and pay a fine of $185,000 for illegally listing it on Airbnb. The tenant, who paid $1,500 a month for her rent-stabilized two-bedroom apartment, was sued by her landlord in 2014, who claimed she was earning about $...
The New York State Multiple Dwelling Law (MDL) established the standards for all buildings containing three or more dwelling units. The MDL flatly prohibits unhosted rentals of less than 30 days in “Class A” multiple dwellings. These are buildings occupied by three or more families...
Some state lawmakers in Albany are considering amending the state human rights law to make it illegal to discriminate against tenants based on where they receive their income. The change would include a “lawful source of income” provision that would protect people using government...
Members of 32BJ SEIU, one of the city’s largest labor unions, reached a tentative agreement with the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations, a group of building owners in the tristate area. Following a week of negotiations, a strike by janitors, porters, handymen, and doormen was averted...
The New York City Council recently approved legislation effective April 1, 2019, intended to combat sexual harassment. The Stop Sexual Harassment in NYC Act mandates that private employers with 15 or more employees in New York City conduct annual sexual harassment training. The New York State...
HPD Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer and Department of Finance Commissioner Jacques Jiha recently announced the suspension of 421-a benefits to more than 1,700 owners who haven’t complied with the requirements of the program. The suspensions are the latest phase of a multi-stage, multi-...
HPD Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer recently released the initial results of the 2017 New York City Housing and Vacancy Survey (NYCHVS). The survey is required by state and city rent regulation laws to determine New York City’s overall vacancy rate for rental housing. It’s...
In January, the Department of Housing and Urban Development delayed the implementation of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule, an Obama-era anti-segregation measure rule, until 2020, saying, “HUD believes that program participants need additional time and technical assistance to...
Last year, the City Council voted unanimously on the “Predatory Equity Bill,” which creates a watch list of rent-regulated buildings where tenants are potentially vulnerable to investors who may want to kick them out. Mayor de Blasio recently signed the bill into law.
The state’s highest court recently overturned the lower court ruling that blocked a one-time $183 credit for owners of one-, two-, and three-family dwellings. At the same time, the Water Board increased charges in 2017 for owners of apartment, co-op, and condo buildings. Apartment owners...
