In the News
January 22, 2016
New York City recently hired Diana Leyden as the city’s first taxpayer advocate, a new position created by Finance Commissioner Jacques Jiha. Leyden is a law professor from Connecticut and has run a free income-tax clinic for low-income taxpayers in Hartford for the past 16 years. According...
In the News
January 22, 2016
The 421-a tax abatement program, which grants subsidies to developers who offer low-income units in new buildings, has expired. The program’s future depended on negotiations between the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) and the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York...
Landlord v. Tenant
January 22, 2016
DOS Violations: Religious Holiday Observance Doesn't Excuse Placing Trash Cans Out Too Early
DOS issued a violation notice to landlord for placing trash cans out too early for the following day’s collection. Landlord opposed the violation, but the ALJ fined him $100. Landlord appealed and...
Feature
December 18, 2015
Suppose a tenant’s apartment is burglarized or a building visitor falls when a stairway handrail becomes loose or something happens in your building that causes property loss or bodily injury. Are you certain your employees let you know about certain incidents like these as soon as they...
Rent Increases
December 18, 2015
The rents in rent-controlled apartments in New York City are governed by the Maximum Base Rent (MBR) system. This system is based on a mathematical formula for computing the maximum rent levels for each controlled apartment in the city. This theoretical MBR represents an approximation of the actual...
Management Basics
December 18, 2015
Again this year, the city’s Department of Sanitation (DOS) has a recycling program for Christmas trees and wreaths. It should make getting rid of trees and wreaths after the holiday much easier for you. Recycling trees and wreaths doesn’t just help the environment. It also helps...
In the News
December 18, 2015
Airbnb recently released a massive dataset about its business in New York City. The data on thousands of hosts in the city includes statistics such as host earnings, the types of listings, and how often people rent out their homes. This is the latest action the company has taken to counter the...
Landlord v. Tenant
December 18, 2015
Fire Department Violations: Landlord Proves Sprinkler System Flow Test Was Timely
The Fire Department issued a violation notice to landlord for failing to arrange for a performance flow test of the building’s residential sprinkler system in the presence of a Fire Department representative....
Feature
November 24, 2015
Are you paying for more oil than you’re really getting? Unscrupulous oil companies can trick owners about the amount of fuel that’s delivered to a building. Recently, a joint report released by the New York City Department of Investigation and Business Integrity Commission revealed...
Violations
November 24, 2015
When the city’s Department of Buildings (DOB) hits you with a violation, it must first deliver a violation notice to you. There are some strict rules the DOB must follow in this delivery, which is legally known as “service” of the notice. Sometimes, though, the DOB makes mistakes...
