DOH Violations: Mouse Droppings in Apartment Show Pest Harborage Violation
DOHMH issued a violation notice to landlord for failing to keep the premises free of pests and conditions conducive to pests. The issuing officer observed fresh mouse droppings in an apartment, on the kitchen...
Discrimination: Landlord Needn't Make Premises Handicapped Accessible
Tenant, a disabled veteran, sued landlord in federal court, claiming that areas of his apartment and the apartment complex were inaccessible to him due to his disability. He also claimed discrimination under the...
The Rent Guidelines Board (RGB), a nine-member panel that sets annual rent increases for rent-stabilized apartments, met on May 1 to vote on preliminary numbers for increasing rent-stabilized rents. The board voted for rent hikes of between 1.75 and 4 percent on new one-year leases and increases...
Owners of large apartment buildings in the city are bearing more of the property tax burden than owners of one- to three-family homes, according to a recent report released by NYU's Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy. The report is titled “State of New York City's...
On May 4, the New York City Water Board approved a 7 percent rate increase in water rates that it had earlier proposed, in addition to raising fees for certain services. The increase, while the smallest in seven years, is the city's 16th annual hike for metered and unmetered water rates. The...
The City Council is considering two new elevator safety bills. One would require certification for mechanics, and the other would require elevators to be equipped with extra safety mechanisms.
The proposed legislation is prompted by the tragic death of the advertising executive who was...
QDoes adding an outdoor exclusive garden or recreational space to a vacant rent-stabilized apartment permit me to increase the rent of that stabilized unit? How would I know if this addition would make the resulting apartment a new apartment...
The Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) is mandated by law to establish yearly rent adjustments for rent-stabilized apartments in New York City. The board holds an annual series of public meetings and hearings to consider research from staff, and testimony from owners, tenants, advocacy groups, and...
Former tenant sued landlord to recover a security deposit and late fee payments totaling $5,000. Landlord claimed that tenant owed $1,944 in back rent. Tenant showed that he had paid a security deposit of $3,080 and late fees of more than $2,000 under a...
QI'm considering installing security cameras in common-area hallways and in the building elevator. Will tenants be able to successfully sue me on the basis of invasion of privacy and harassment?
The Department of Buildings (DOB) takes tenant safety seriously. And any types of obstructions or locks on fire exits and passageways are grounds for a Class 1 immediately hazardous violation. In one recent case, the DOB issued such a violation after inspectors found that a fire passageway...
Periodically check that any noise-producing building systems, such as air circulation devices, don't exceed unreasonable noise levels. N.Y.C. Administrative Code Section 27-218 provides that no person shall cause or permit “unreasonable noise,” which is defined in the Building...
