Feature

Take Four Steps When Allowing Apartment Pass-On to Family Member

September 22, 2015    
Suppose you’ve agreed to the pass-on of a rent-stabilized apartment to a tenant’s family member after the tenant has died or moved out. For example, you may choose not to fight the pass-on in court because the family member has a strong case that he or she is entitled to pass-on rights...
Management Basics

Evict Tenant from Second Apartment in Same Building

September 22, 2015    
You may have a tenant holding on to two rent-regulated apartments in your building, but he lives in only one of them. For example, a tenant may once have rented two apartments to meet the needs of a large family. But now the tenant’s children are grown and gone, and the tenant no longer uses...
In the News

Study Finds Quarter of NYC Apartments Rented at Preferential Rate

September 22, 2015    
The Independent Budget Office (IBO) recently released a study that found that nearly a quarter of New York City apartments were rented at a preferential rent or at a rate lower than the maximum allowed under law in 2013. Specifically, using apartment registration data from the DHCR, the IBO found...
In the News

DOB Announces Coming Launch of Technology Enhancements

September 22, 2015    
As part of the Department of Buildings technology enhancements outlined in its Building One City plan, the DOB recently announced a forthcoming online tool named “Inspection Ready.” According to the DOB, this tool will dramatically simplify compliance and reduce wait times when...
Landlord v. Tenant

Landlord v. Tenant: October 2015

September 22, 2015    
Rent Overcharge: Four-Year Rule Applied to Overcharge Claim (Decision submitted by David B. Cabrera of the Manhattan law firm of Borah, Goldstein, Altschuler, Nahins & Goidel, P.C., attorneys for the landlord.)
Feature

How to Collect a Money Judgment from an Ex-Tenant

August 26, 2015    
You may feel like celebrating after you win a money judgment for unpaid rent from an ex-tenant in court. But sometimes it can be tough to get the ex-tenant to pay you the amount of the judgment. Fortunately, if you know where the ex-tenant works, there’s a way you can get the money you’...
New Laws & Regs

Legionnaires' Outbreak Spurs New Legislation for Cooling Tower Maintenance

August 26, 2015    
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOH) recently announced that a cooling tower in a South Bronx hotel was the source of a deadly Legionnaires’ disease outbreak that began on July 10. Laboratory tests determined that the Legionella strain found in the hotel’s...
In the News

City Council Limits Owners' Attempts to Buy Out Rent-Stabilized Tenants

August 26, 2015    
The City Council recently passed three measures meant to protect rent-stabilized tenants from pressure to agree to buyouts or cash payments in return for giving up their apartments. All three measures passed with only one negative vote from Staten Island Republican Councilman Steven Matteo. Here...
In the News

City Disputes FEMA's Updated Flood Zones

August 26, 2015    
Two years ago, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued a new flood map for the New York City region, one that substantially expanded what’s known as the “100-year floodplain”—areas where there is at least a 1 percent chance of flooding in any given year. The...
In the News

Tenant Protection Unit Set to Investigate East Village Owner

August 26, 2015    
State investigators have launched an investigation into an East Village owner who has been accused of intimidating tenants into vacating their rent-regulated units. The state’s Tenant Protection Unit recently served subpoenas as part of an investigation into claims of tenant harassment.