New Laws & Regs
June 30, 2015
On June 25, Governor Cuomo and leaders of the New York State Legislature agreed to strengthen the state’s rent regulations and to overhaul the 421-a tax abatement program. The legislative session had been originally scheduled to end on June 17, but negotiations continued into the following...
In the News
June 30, 2015
Faced with a rising number of complaints from tenants, particularly in New York City’s fastest growing neighborhoods, Attorney General Schneiderman, Mayor de Blasio, and Governor Cuomo created a joint Tenant Harassment Prevention Task Force in February to investigate and bring enforcement...
Landlord v. Tenant
June 30, 2015
Eviction: Tenant Didn’t Comply with Requirements for New Keycard
Tenant sued landlord for illegal lockout. She claimed that landlord didn’t give her keycards to the new locks that had been installed on the entry doors solely because she had refused to provide landlord with a photograph...
Feature
May 26, 2015
A difficult situation an owner may face is when a tenant withholds all or part of the monthly rent over a claimed problem in his apartment. For example, the tenant may claim no heat or hot water or a broken dishwasher. If you investigate the problem and find that it exists, you must then decide...
Management Basics
May 26, 2015
You must file an Annual Apartment Registration application with the Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) for every rent-stabilized apartment you own by July 31, 2015. As in past years, the penalty for not filing is stiff: You can’t collect a rent increase—or even apply for...
Rent Increases
May 26, 2015
If you have a tenant who’s paying a monthly rent of $2,500 or more for a rent-controlled or rent-stabilized apartment, it might be time to send out the second of two Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) forms that may eventually lead to deregulation of the apartment. If you miss...
In the News
May 26, 2015
The Democrat-controlled New York State Assembly recently approved legislation to extend and strengthen rent regulations, setting up a battle with the Republican-controlled State Senate. The Assembly’s bill would extend city rent regulations—which expire in June—for another four...
In the News
May 26, 2015
Building on Mayor de Blasio’s “One New York: The Plan for a Strong and Just City,” the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the New York City Housing Development Corporation recently announced the new Green Housing Preservation Program to assist owners of...
In the News
May 26, 2015
Mayor Bill de Blasio recently proposed a sweeping overhaul of the 421-a tax program to spur a new wave of housing with rent-restricted apartments in New York City. The mayor called for tough new provisions in the 421-a program that will expand requirements citywide, double the amount of rent-...
Feature
May 11, 2015
When legal rents in rent-controlled and rent-stabilized apartments reach a level of $2,500 per month, two things occur. These apartments are now subject to vacancy deregulation. If the apartment is occupied, you are allowed to initiate an annual income certification process and deregulate the...