Dos & Don'ts, Q & A, In the News, Landlord v. Tenant

Landlord v. Tenant: May 2022

April 22, 2022    

PROCEDURE—DHCR

Late Filing of PAR Not Excused by Tenant's COVID Infection

Tenant complained to the DHCR of rent overcharge. The DRA ruled against tenant, who then filed a PAR to appeal. The DHCR rejected tenant's PAR as untimely...

Claiming Diplomatic Immunity to Sidestep Building Policies

March 18, 2022    

Q Foreign diplomats are smoking in their apartments. Are they allowed to claim some sort of diplomatic immunity from my building’s no-smoking policies? Are they exempt?

HPD Steps Up Enforcement of Open Violations in 250 Buildings

March 18, 2022    

HPD's Alternative Enforcement Program (AEP) is a program for apartment buildings that have many Housing Maintenance Code violations. The goal of the program is to improve housing conditions by performing frequent inspections to monitor correction of violations, and issue Orders to Correct if...

Owners Pay City Record $2.25M to Settle Claims of Illegal Evictions and Short-Term Rentals

March 18, 2022    

Mayor Eric Adams and New York Attorney General Letitia James recently announced a settlement against the owners of a building in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, for illegally evicting tenants in 2020 and running an unlawful short-term rental operation for four years across nine Brooklyn buildings. The...

Landlord v. Tenant: April 2022

March 18, 2022    

RENT

Landlords Claim Property Manager Breached Fiduciary Duty in How Rents Were Set

Landlords of several residential buildings sued their property management company and individual officers affiliated with the management company. Landlords claimed breach of contract, breach of...

Checking Contractors' Insurance Policy Exclusions

February 22, 2022    

The Insider spoke with Jonathan Steward, vice president/producer, O&S Insurance Brokerage Group, to discuss why there are more and more exclusions in contractors’ insurance policies—and how to guard against them.

Insider: New York State...

City Council Discusses Permanent Open Restaurants Plan

February 18, 2022    

On Feb. 8, the City Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises held a joint hearing with the Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection on the proposed permanent open restaurant program. The meeting lasted over eight hours with 250 people testifying for and against the program.

Landlord v. Tenant: March 2022

February 18, 2022    

PROCEDURE—COURT

Unemployed Tenant Who Got Large Settlement Couldn’t Rely on Hardship Declaration

Landlord sued to evict tenants for nonpayment of rent. Landlord questioned the validity of a Hardship Declaration filed by...

NYC Public Advocate Reveals 2021 Worst Landlords List

December 21, 2021    

The Office of the Public Advocate recently released its annual Worst Landlord Watchlist. The list is an information-sharing tool that enables tenants, public officials, advocates, and other concerned people to identify which residential property owners consistently flout city laws intended to...

OCJ Releases 'Right to Counsel' Progress Report

December 21, 2021    

The Office of Civil Justice (OCJ) within the New York City Human Resources Administration recently released a report on the fourth year’s implementation of the Universal Access to Legal Services or “Right to Counsel” law that was enacted in 2017. The law required the Office of...

Landlord v. Tenant: January 2022

December 20, 2021    

HARASSMENT

Tenant Doesn’t Prove Harassment Based on Alleged Toxic Odor

Tenant brought an HP proceeding against landlord, claiming harassment. She said there was a “toxic odor invading” her apartment in June 2020 and that landlord did nothing about it. Landlord...

ERAP Update: COVID Rent Relief Funds Depleted, Governor Requests More Federal Aid

November 19, 2021    

Nearly 280,000 households have submitted ERAP applications, and the number of payments issued to owners is 81,209 since the application portal opened on June 1, according to the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), the agency in charge of distributing $2.7 billion through the...