The New York City Department of Sanitation requires city residents to fully seal any mattresses or box springs in plastic bags before leaving them out for curbside pickup. Failure to do so can result in a $100 fine. The law is intended to help slow the spread of bedbugs.
A district court judge in Nassau County recently ruled that an Upper East Side tenant could break her lease and pay reduced rent because when she had complained about a neighbor's cigarette smoking, the landlord failed to take appropriate action to alleviate the secondhand smoke.
QSince the financial crisis in 2008, it seems as though more and more owners are becoming unable to pay for repairs to their over-mortgaged buildings. These owners may be unable to borrow additional money to finance repairs because they have negative...
A settlement between a developer and the U.S. government has owners across the city fearing they'll be forced to make changes at tens of thousands of apartments to comply with federal law preventing discrimination against the disabled.
Mayor Bloomberg and DOB Commissioner LiMandri recently announced the results of an undercover operation to crack down on illegally converted dwellings and hold property owners accountable for putting potential tenants and first responders at risk.
Governor Paterson recently signed into law a measure giving the city greater power to crack down on illegal hotels. The law removes a legal gray area that contributed to the problem of landlords renting apartments as hotel rooms so they can charge more than rent laws allow. It provides a clear...
For two subsequent years before this year's Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) order, the RGB authorized a fixed rent increase that affected only tenants who have lived in their apartments for six years or longer and had legal rents of $1,000 or less. Approximately 300,000 apartments had renewal...
Q I'm filing a major capital improvement (MCI) application with the Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) to get a rent increase for a boiler replacement and hot water heater installation I just completed. The boiler...
If your building has a master antenna, you should make sure it works even if few tenants use the master antenna to receive television broadcasting and even if it was never a registered required service for your building.
The Department of Buildings (DOB) has been under increased scrutiny in the past few years, after a series of tragic construction accidents and the recent guilty plea by a construction crane company that it paid off a top city inspector to shortcut safety inspections and licensing exams. The...
When you make a repair to a tenant's apartment, always keep a record of what was done, no matter how minor the work. Keep bills and canceled checks for any materials or parts that...
