Adam Leitman Bailey's blog
Understanding Single-Room Occupancy Laws
Single-room occupancy housing, or more commonly called SROs, exist throughout New York City. Most of these dwellings contain single rooms without a bathroom, kitchen, or shower, as such facilities typically reside on another side of the floor in a shared capacity. SRO buildings are a relic of a past city hanging onto to a way of living that has long been abandoned.
Q&A: Preferential Rent in J51 Housing
Q: In J51 housing, can a preferential rate be adjusted as part of a renewal?
A: In J51 buildings for the past 40 years, if the FIRST tenant gets a “preferential” rent, there’s nothing preferential about it. The owner has given up the right to the higher rent forever.
Under Rent Stabilization Code Section 2521.1(h) the legal rent is the rent that is actually CHARGED to the tenant on the first lease after the J51 order is issued: