A settlement between a developer and the U.S. government has owners across the city fearing they'll be forced to make changes at tens of thousands of apartments to comply with federal law preventing discrimination against the disabled.
Mayor Bloomberg and DOB Commissioner LiMandri recently announced the results of an undercover operation to crack down on illegally converted dwellings and hold property owners accountable for putting potential tenants and first responders at risk.
Governor Paterson recently signed into law a measure giving the city greater power to crack down on illegal hotels. The law removes a legal gray area that contributed to the problem of landlords renting apartments as hotel rooms so they can charge more than rent laws allow. It provides a clear...
For two subsequent years before this year's Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) order, the RGB authorized a fixed rent increase that affected only tenants who have lived in their apartments for six years or longer and had legal rents of $1,000 or less. Approximately 300,000 apartments had renewal...
Q I'm filing a major capital improvement (MCI) application with the Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) to get a rent increase for a boiler replacement and hot water heater installation I just completed. The boiler...
The Department of Buildings (DOB) has been under increased scrutiny in the past few years, after a series of tragic construction accidents and the recent guilty plea by a construction crane company that it paid off a top city inspector to shortcut safety inspections and licensing exams. The...
If your building has a master antenna, you should make sure it works even if few tenants use the master antenna to receive television broadcasting and even if it was never a registered required service for your building.
When you make a repair to a tenant's apartment, always keep a record of what was done, no matter how minor the work. Keep bills and canceled checks for any materials or parts that...
QI have a rent-stabilized tenant who installed a washing machine years ago. I just became aware of it when I was in her apartment for another reason. The tenant's original lease specifies that washing machines are not allowed. Can I officially ask...
Q I have a recently deregulated apartment. Is there any DHCR policy or other sort of agency determination guiding how much additional security deposit an owner can charge a tenant for a deregulated apartment?
If you have a tenant who is a military service member and needs to terminate a lease due to military orders for relocation, you should return any prepaid rent and security deposits due...
Make sure nothing in your lease requires rent-stabilized tenants to pay their rent in advance. For example, if you require prospective tenants to pay a year's rent in advance, the Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) may consider the rent paid to be a rent overcharge.
