This year has been the first full year of implementation of the new boiler inspection rules. The new rules were signed into law in April 2010, and were fully implemented in May 2010. They pertain to low-pressure boiler inspections, filing requirements, penalties, and waivers. The 2011 inspection...
Owners and managers frequently receive a variety of complaints about their tenants' conduct. At some point, it's likely that you may field allegations about intolerable odors from a particular apartment, or about apartment conditions that create a breeding ground for insects, or give...
The Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) has just announced an increase in this year's air-conditioner rent surcharge for owners who pay for electricity. It set the monthly surcharge at $29.13, up from $26.83 last year. This year's increase reflects higher electricity costs...
When a nonregulated tenant's lease expires, an owner is under no legal obligation to renew it, unless the lease itself gives the tenant a renewal option. The situation is very different though for rent-stabilized tenants. Generally, as long as the rent is paid, you must offer renewal leases...
Heating season is fast approaching, and we want to remind you of the temperatures you are legally required to maintain. Heat and hot water complaints probably will be the most common type of service complaint you will deal with this winter. According to statistics compiled by the Department of...
If a rent-regulated tenant complains to the Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) about painting problems, such as peeling paint, in his apartment, you could get hit with a DHCR rent cut for reduced services.
When the tenant of a rent-controlled or rent-stabilized apartment dies or moves out, there's often someone still living in the apartment who claims to have “pass-on” or succession rights to it because he or she is the tenant's relative or has a family-type relationship with...
With the new school year approaching, more college-age students will be searching for housing in the New York City area. Campus housing is scarce in the city, and owners who provide housing for students are often rewarded with a steady stream of quality...
The federal Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 requires users of consumer reports, beginning on July 21, 2011, to also provide credit scores to prospective tenants if the score was used in taking adverse or unfavorable action against the tenant. Adverse action...
On June 24, 2011, New York State legislators passed new rent regulations codified in Chapter 97 of the Laws of 2011 (S-5856). Amid a push by Assembly Democrats and Gov. Andrew Cuomo to expand the law, the new laws call for a four-year extension of the existing regulations as well as changes that...
If you're planning a major capital improvement (MCI) in your building this summer, you may need access to a tenant's apartment to get the job done. For example, you may be installing new windows in the building, and to finish this project you'll need access to each apartment so that...
On July 23, 2010, Governor David A. Paterson signed into law a bill prohibiting transient use in any “class A” multiple dwelling building. The law became effective on May 1, 2011, and it was created to crack down on “illegal hotels” that have proliferated throughout New...
