Landlord v. Tenant

Recent High-Income Deregulation Rulings

May 11, 2015    
Here are some DHCR rulings from the past year that illustrate some of the points made about the high-income/high-rent deregulation process in this special issue.
In the News

RGB Votes on Preliminary Rent Increase Guidelines

May 11, 2015    
On May 5, the Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) held a preliminary vote on rent increases for rent-stabilized apartments. The chair’s proposal passed by five votes, allowing for 0 to 2 percent increases for one-year leases, 0.5 to 3.5 percent for two-year leases, and 10 percent for sublets. This...
In the News

De Blasio Calls for Expansion of Tenant Protections

May 11, 2015    
The de Blasio administration has made recent efforts to increase protections for rent-stabilized tenants, including free legal representation for tenants in up to 15 neighborhoods. It’s also launching a new Tenant Harassment Prevention Task Force with State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman...
Feature

How to Handle Signing and Renewing Leases with Cotenants

April 24, 2015    
Cotenants are two or more tenants who rent the same apartment under the same lease. Sometimes cotenants sign at the same time or a cotenant may be added later to an existing lease. In New York City, due to the short supply and high demand for apartments, there’s a good chance that a primary...
In the News

NYC Water Rates Expected to Increase in July

April 24, 2015    
On March 27, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) formally recommended a water rate increase of 3.24 percent to the New York City Water Board. This marks the second consecutive annual increase since Mayor de Blasio took office, but the lowest one in a decade.
In the News

Two Brooklyn Owners Charged with Fraud

April 24, 2015    
Two Brooklyn owners were arrested for intentionally wrecking apartments in order to drive tenants out of their rent-stabilized buildings. The owners, who are brothers collectively known as JBI Management, had destroyed the kitchens and bathrooms of two ground-floor apartments with a sledgehammer,...
Management Basics

Large Building Owners to Submit Benchmarking Data by May 1

April 24, 2015    
Local Law 84 of 2009 requires all large buildings in the city to annually measure and publically disclose their energy consumption. LL84 standardizes this process and captures information with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) free online benchmarking tool called Portfolio...
Rent Increases

RGB Releases 2015 Operating Cost and Affordability Reports

April 24, 2015    
The Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) is mandated by law to establish yearly rent adjustments for rent-stabilized apartments in New York City. The board holds an annual series of public meetings and hearings to consider research from staff and testimony from owners, tenants, advocacy groups, and industry...
Feature

Follow Five Rules to Prepare for Fair Housing Testers

March 20, 2015    
The recent appointment of Carmelyn Malalis as the new chair of the NYC Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has coincided with renewed legislative interest in the Commission’s fair housing testing program. Commissioner Malalis recently testified in front of the City Council regarding Intro. 689,...
Court Watch

Tenant Evicted with No Chance to Cure After Profiteering with Airbnb

March 20, 2015    
Back in December, an Upper West Side woman accused of earning thousands of dollars by renting her rent-controlled duplex on Airbnb was ordered to stop by a Manhattan judge. And in January of this year, apartment-sharing websites including Airbnb were taken to task by City Council members who argued...