Feature Articles

Q & A on Collecting Security Deposits from Rent-Stabilized Tenants

June 20, 2018    

When renting rent-stabilized apartments, you probably require security deposits from tenants, in case they cause any damage. A security deposit is money that a tenant deposits with the owner of the apartment for the repair of any damages to...

File 2018 Rent Registrations Online by July 31

June 20, 2018    

You must file an Annual Apartment Registration application with the DHCR for every rent-stabilized apartment you own by July 31, 2018, using the DHCR’s online Owner Rent Regulation Application system. As in past years, the penalty for...

City Council Approves Fire Safety Bills for Residential Buildings

May 22, 2018    

The City Council recently voted to approve a series of eight fire safety bills with the goal of making residential buildings safer. The bills were created in response to the Dec. 28, 2017, Bronx fire that killed 13 people, making it the city’s deadliest fire in more than a quarter century...

Six Exceptions to the Four-Year Rule for Overcharge Claims

May 22, 2018    

In January 2014, the DHCR adopted amendments to the Rent Stabilization Code (RSC). Among the amendments were more exceptions made to the “four-year rule”—the four-year statute of limitations or time limit to initiate an overcharge complaint. Generally, the statute of...

DHCR Issues New Operational Bulletin on Defective Work and MCI Rent Hikes

May 22, 2018    

The DHCR recently posted Operation Bulletin 2018-1 entitled, “The Effect of Defective Work on the Disposition of an Owner’s Application for a Major Capital Improvements (MCI) Rent Increase.” It provides guidance on the granting of MCI rent increases when there are defective...

NY High Court Rules in Favor of Owners in High-Rent Vacancy Deregulation Case

May 22, 2018    

On April 26, the New York State Court of Appeals handed down a landmark ruling in favor of rent-stabilized building owners by preventing them from having to re-regulate as many as 150,000 market-rate apartments. The Court unanimously reversed a 2015 decision of the Appellate Division, First...

How to Avoid Violating NYC’s Expanding ‘Tenant Harassment’ Laws

May 9, 2018    

By Eileen O’Toole, Esq.

Avoid Rent Overcharge Finding If No Rent Was Charged on Base Date

April 19, 2018    

When you defend against a tenant’s rent overcharge complaint, you must prove that you didn’t illegally increase the rent after the apartment’s base date. Section 2520.6(f) of the revised Rent Stabilization Code defines the base date as the date four years before the tenant...

Large Building Owners to Submit Benchmarking Data by May 1

April 19, 2018    

Local Law 84 (LL84) requires owners of large buildings to annually measure their energy and water consumption in a process called benchmarking. LL84 standardizes this process by requiring building owners to enter their annual energy and water use in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency...

File RPIE Statements by June 1

April 19, 2018    

The NYC Department of Finance (DOF) requires certain owners of residential properties to file the Real Property Income & Expense Statement (RPIE) every year. The DOF needs income and expense information each year to value your property accurately.

RGB Releases 2018 Operating Cost, Affordability, Mortgage Reports

April 19, 2018    

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...

Follow Four Rules to Guard Against Race Discrimination Claims

March 27, 2018    

Last October, the Fair Housing Justice Center (FHJC), a New York City-based nonprofit civil rights organization, filed a lawsuit against an apartment building owner for allegedly defying housing discrimination laws. The owner, through its employees, allegedly lied to African Americans about the...

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