Online Alerts

Online Alerts

Low-Income Housing Developer Group Advocates for Rent Regulation Reforms

December 5, 2018    

For the first time, a group of low-income housing developers is teaming up with low-income tenant activists to push for rent regulation reforms. The New York State Association for Affordable Housing, along with groups that include the Legal Aid Society, VOCAL New York, Enterprise Community...

Mayor de Blasio Seeks Private Management of Public Housing Projects

December 5, 2018    

Mayor de Blasio recently announced Requests for Proposals for the private management of 21 public housing projects. Through the public-private partnerships and HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) intends to bring comprehensive...

Owner Fined $53,100 for Tenants’ Illegal Airbnb Use

December 5, 2018    

In a recent decision, the Appellate Division found that owners cannot claim ignorance if inspectors find that tenants used online sites to rent out their units for short-term stays. The court affirmed fines for the illegal conversion of residential units into hotel rooms.

HPD Releases ‘Speculation Watch List’ to Fight Displacement

November 1, 2018    

HPD recently announced the release of the “Speculation Watch List,” a new tool to track rent-regulated properties that may have been purchased by predatory investors and identify properties for enhanced tenant support. The city is making this information available so that tenants and...

RPA Study Looks at Impact of ‘Bad Landlords’

November 1, 2018    

According to research recently published by the Regional Plan Association (RPA), a handful of landlords is responsible for a disproportionate amount of the city’s poor housing and eviction cases. RPA labels these landlords as “bad landlords” and defines them as having: (1) a...

NYBC Issues Latest NYC Construction Outlook

November 1, 2018    

Construction spending will reach $61.5 billion in 2018, a new record high for the city, according to the Construction Outlook 2018–2020 report produced by the New York Building Congress (NYBC) and the New York Building Foundation. The report states this spending reflects a 25 percent...

HPD Announces Start of "Heat Season" in NYC

October 3, 2018    

HPD recently reminded tenants, owners, and landlords of the temperature requirements for all apartments as New York’s “heat season” begins. The 2018-2019 “heat season” begins on Monday, Oct. 1 and continues through Friday, May 31.

Councilmember Proposes Bill to Make Owners Stop Lying on Permits

October 3, 2018    

Councilmember Ritchie Torres introduced a new bill to stop owners from falsely claiming on applications for building permits that their properties have no rent-regulated units. According to a report recently released by the Housing Rights Initiative and the Department of Investigation, the city...

City Council Holds Hearing on Lead Poisoning Reduction Bills

October 3, 2018    

The NYC City Council recently held hearings on a package of bills aimed at reducing lead poisoning in children. “I believe it is a failure and a tragedy that children are still affected in a devastating way, potentially for the rest of their lives," said Speaker Corey Johnson at a...

Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Repeal MCI Program

September 6, 2018    

Two Queens lawmakers, State Senator Mike Gianaris and Assemblyman Brian Barnwell, recently introduced a bill in their respective chambers that would repeal the Major Capital Improvements (MCI) program and instead provide building owners with tax credits to offset the costs of upgrades. The MCI...

Investigation Claims Trump Lawyer Cohen Harassed Rent-Stabilized Tenants

September 6, 2018    

According to an investigation spearheaded by the nonprofit Housing Rights Initiative (HRI), attorney Michael Cohen, known for being President Trump’s longtime personal lawyer and fixer, allegedly engaged in tenant harassment and falsified paperwork in order to quickly turn a profit on...

DOB Fines Kushner Companies for Falsifying Permits

September 6, 2018    

The DOB recently fined Kushner Companies $210,000 for falsifying dozens of permit applications at 17 buildings in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The New York Times first reported that the DOB levied the fines for 42 instances in which Kushner made misrepresentations about the existence of rent-...