Feature
June 21, 2013
When you get a major capital improvement (MCI) performed at your building, you may hire a consultant such as an engineer or architect in addition to the contractor doing the work. For example, you may hire an engineer when you get your building’s parapet replaced. Can you include the engineer...
Rent Increases
June 21, 2013
On June 20, 2013, the New York City Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) issued an order—RGBO #45—setting the rent increases you may take for rent-stabilized tenants in New York City on leases beginning anytime on or after Oct. 1, 2013, through Sept. 30, 2014. This year the increases are about...
In the News
June 21, 2013
New York’s Building Resiliency Task Force, the expert panel that convened after Hurricane Sandy to outline steps to fortify New York’s buildings and strengthen building standards, recently released a report that includes 33 recommendations. They address resiliency in a wide range of...
In the News
June 21, 2013
New York City’s plan to let private developers build on public housing land is drawing increasing resistance from politicians, residents, and housing advocates, who say the idea should be abandoned. In the beginning of the year, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) commenced a multi-...
Landlord v. Tenant
June 21, 2013
Discrimination: Landlord Fined $185,000 for Not Accommodating Wheelchair-Bound Tenant
Disabled tenant complained to the New York City Commission on Human Rights (CHR) that landlord failed to provide a reasonable accommodation, in violation of the city’s Human Rights Law. Tenant was...
In the News
June 20, 2013
If you own a building with rent-controlled units, remember to submit the forms that need to be filed for the upcoming 2014-2015 maximum base rent (MBR) cycle. The forms include the Violation Certification and the Operation and Maintenance and Essential Service Certification.
Feature
May 20, 2013
As an owner or manager, you probably deal with dozens of different documents relating to rent-stabilized tenants. For example, you have leases and renewal leases to fill out and sign, apartment registrations to file with the Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR), and window guard and...
Management Basics
May 20, 2013
You must file an Annual Apartment Registration application with the DHCR for every rent-stabilized apartment you own by July 31, 2013. As in past years, the penalty for not filing is stiff: You can’t collect a rent increase—or even apply for one—until you file.
Rent Increases
May 20, 2013
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 20, 2013
On April 30, the Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) voted on preliminary numbers for increasing rent-stabilized rents. The board voted for rent hikes of between 3.25 and 6.25 percent on one-year renewal leases and increases of between 5.0 percent and 9.75 percent for two-year renewal leases.
