Dos & Don'ts, Q & A, In the News, Landlord v. Tenant

Calculating Rent of Former Super's Apartment

November 21, 2011    

Q My building's superintendent is leaving, and I'd like to rent out his apartment. How do I calculate the rent for an apartment that was temporarily exempt for two years and was rent stabilized on the base date?

Audit: City Paid Millions in Rent Subsidies to Dead People

October 23, 2011    

A recent audit from city Controller John Liu discovered that the city had paid out $11.8 million through the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) program in recent years to nearly 4,000 dead people. Either their apartment owners or relatives had been cashing in on the oversight.

Landlord Settles Tenants' Harassment Suit

September 25, 2011    

Recently, a settlement deal was reached between the Pinnacle Group, a large New York City landlord, and its rent-regulated tenants, who claimed in a class-action lawsuit that they had been subjected to harassment, unlawful rent increases, and aggressive eviction attempts during the real estate...

Judge Says Landmark Stuy Town Ruling Applies Retroactively

September 21, 2011    

A New York State appellate court ruling handed down recently may have broad implications for tenants across the city. In a decision that could benefit potentially thousands of New York City residents, the court held that a landmark 2009 ruling involving illegally deregulated apartments should be...

Judge Issues Arrest Warrants for Three Brooklyn Owners

August 21, 2011    

 

Three Brooklyn owners of distressed properties were arrested recently for failing to comply with court orders directing them to correct hazardous housing violations on their properties and failing to appear in court, according to the city's Department of Housing Preservation...

Apartment Demand Rises, Owners End Concessions

July 17, 2011    

In the past few months, Manhattan rents have continued to rise and vacancy rates have hit a new low, according to reports released on July 8 by Citi Habitats. Manhattan's apartment vacancy rate was 0.72 percent in the second quarter, the lowest vacancy rate that Citi Habitats has seen since...

Bloomberg Unveils New Approach to Target Illegal Conversions

June 19, 2011    

In a statement released by his office recently, Mayor Bloomberg outlined how the city plans to deal with dangerous illegally converted apartments. A multi-agency task force, chaired by Chief Policy Advisor John Feinblatt, developed a risk assessment model that will be applied to illegal...

Bronx Fire Deaths Spark Crackdown on Illegal Apartments

May 19, 2011    

City fire and building officials will search for new ways to target landlords who unlawfully subdivide their properties, said Mayor Michael Bloomberg in the wake of an April 25 Bronx fire that killed a family of three living in illegal subdivided housing.

City Hands Out Fines for Violations of Bedbug Mattress Law

April 19, 2011    

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.

Judge Says Owner Neglected Secondhand Smoke Complaint

March 25, 2011    

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.

Landlord v. Tenant: Latest Bedbug Rulings

March 12, 2011    

Landlord Must Pay Tenant $3,900 for Bedbug Infestation Damage

Mitchell-Lama co-op tenant sued landlord cooperative corporation, seeking reimbursement after she...

Effects of Warranty of Habitability on Mortgage Foreclosures

February 22, 2011    

Q Since 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...