The Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) has just announced a cut in this year's air-conditioner rent surcharge for owners who pay for electricity. It set the monthly surcharge at $22.66, down from $29.13last year. This year's decrease reflects a 22.2 percent decrease in the...
According to the sanitation rules and regulations of New York City, owners are responsible for the cleanliness of the sidewalk in front of and adjacent to their property. The sidewalks (including areas like tree pits, grass strips, etc.) and gutter areas (18 inches from the curb into the street...
The time is approaching when you’ll need to get your heating system online for the upcoming cold weather. In New York City, heating season officially begins on Oct. 1. By law, owners are also required to provide tenants with heat under the following conditions: Between the hours of 6 a.m....
In our feature, we discussed one type of an illegal sublet: when a tenant rents out his or her apartment using short-term rental Web sites. But what happens when a tenant approaches you about a long-term rental agreement with another individual? In these situations, the tenant wants you to...
In the past few years, we've seen the rise of Web sites designed to meet the demands of creative tenants looking for ways to make some extra money. Popular Web sites such as airbnb.com, homeaway.com...
Tenants can cause unsafe conditions on your building's façade, especially during the summer months. Tenants may start placing items on the window ledge, such as plants and flowers, for the sun exposure. Tenants may attach something to the façade itself, such as a clothesline to take...
If you sign a vacancy lease with a tenant between Oct. 1, 2012, and Sept. 30, 2013, the new order issued on June 21 by the Rent Guidelines Board (RGB)—RGBO #44—lets you collect the vacancy increases permitted under the Rent Regulation Reform Act of 1997 (RRRA).
On June 21, 2012, the New York City Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) issued an order—RGBO #44—setting the rent increases you may take for rent-stabilized tenants in New York City on leases beginning anytime on or after Oct. 1, 2012, through Sept. 30, 2013. As a result of the RGB's...
Filing a petition for administrative review (PAR) with the Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) can be one of the most important dollars-and-cents steps you take. That's especially true if you're using the PAR to appeal a rent-cut order, a rent-overcharge decision, or the...
Rent-stabilized tenants who think they're paying illegally high rents can file rent overcharge complaints with the Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR). To beat a tenant's overcharge complaint, you must file certain key documents with your “answer.” These...
In early 2011, city council members toughened penalties on owners who violate the city's heat laws, by breaking the economic incentives for building owners who withhold heat and hot water from tenants. At the time of its passage, city records showed that more than 114,000 New Yorkers filed...
In accordance with new regulations designed to phase out the most-polluting grades of heating oil, as of July 2012, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will stop issuing operating certificates for boilers burning #6 oil.
Boilers with Certificates to Operate that renew after...
