New Rent Laws Disappoint Tenant Groups, Annoy Owners

The new rent laws that govern roughly 1 million New York City apartments go into effect immediately after Albany lawmakers gave it the green light last week.

The law included some changes aimed at strengthening the existing rules, but tenant advocates say the changes don't go far enough.

Originally, tenants groups wanted to end a rule that allows landlords to deregulate apartments once rents reach $2,000 a month. Instead, the legislature increased the threshold by $500 dollars.

City Councilman Brad Lander said the cost of inflation alone should have brought the threshold up to $3000.

"This is a token increase," said the Democrat from Brooklyn.

Landlords say raising the threshold does nothing more than protect wealthy tenants.

But housing advocates argue the threshold creates an incentive for landlords to raise rents on cheaper apartments by making renovations until the threshold is reached and the apartment can become deregulated.

The new law makes it more difficult to do that by lowering the amount landlords may charge after making improvements.

Tenant groups accuse landlords of inflating their costs, and had wanted the rule to go a step further by requiring owners to prove their expenses – but that didn’t happen.

"When you have a long term tenant in an apartment, the new tenant will want upgrades and there is no reason for an owner to do if it he can’t get a return on his investment," said Frank Ricci from the Rent Stabilization Association.

Overall, Ricci said he wasn't sure how landlords would react: "We'll just have to wait and see."

Tenant groups had hoped that strengthening the rent laws would drastically slow the pace at which regulated apartments become market rate.

According to state figures, more than 12,000 apartments were deregulated in 2010 after vacant apartments reached the deregulation threshold.

Maggie Russell-Ciardi, Executive Director of Tenants and Neighbors spent 10 days in Albany holding rallies and meeting with lawmakers and said it was the first time since the early 90s that laws weren’t weakened.

But, she said, "People are frustrated that the bill didn’t go far enough."

 

Media rent prices for rent stabilized apartments by neighborhood

Manhattan 

Greenwich Village/Financial District

 

$1,600

 

 

 

Lower East Side/Chinatown

 

$900

 

 

 

Chelsea/Clinton/Midtown

 

$1,385

 

 

 

Stuyvesant Town/Turtle-Bay

 

$1,350

 

 

 

Upper West Side

 

$1,048

 

 

 

Upper East Side

 

$1,500

 

 

 

Morningside Heights/Hamilton Heights

 

$800

 

 

 

Central Harlem

 

$700

 

 

 

East Harlem

 

$850

 

 

 

Washington Heights/Inwood

 

$808

 

 

 

Total 

  

$1,035

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bronx 

  

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

Mott Haven/Hunts Point

 

$750

 

 

 

Morrisania/East Tremont

 

$785

 

 

 

Highbridge/ S. Concourse

 

$800

 

 

 

University Heights/ Fordham

 

$750

 

 

 

Kingsbridge Heights/Mosholu

 

$900

 

 

 

Riverdale/Kingsbridge

 

$912

 

 

 

Soundview/Parkchester

 

$850

 

 

 

Throgs Neck/Co-op City

 

$863

 

 

 

Pelham Parkway

 

$865

 

 

 

Williamsbridge/Baychester

 

$850

 

 

 

Mott Haven/Hunts Point

 

$750

 

 

 

Morrisania/East Tremont

 

$785

 

 

 

Total 

 

$830

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brooklyn 

  

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

Williamsburg/Greenpoint

 

$800

 

 

 

Brooklyn Heights/Fort Greene

 

$1,200

 

 

 

Bedford Stuyvesant

 

$875

 

 

 

Bushwick

 

$875

 

 

 

East New York/Starrett City

 

$950

 

 

 

Park Slope/Carroll Gardens

 

$1,000

 

 

 

Sunset Park

 

$950

 

 

 

North Crown Heights/Prospect Heights

 

$925

 

 

 

South Crown Heights

 

$875

 

 

 

Bay Ridge

 

$900

 

 

 

Bensonhurst

 

$885

 

 

 

Borough Park

 

$900

 

 

 

Coney Island

 

$800

 

 

 

Flatbush

 

$900

 

 

 

Sheepshead Bay/Gravesend

 

$827

 

 

 

Brownsville/Ocean Hill

 

$875

 

 

 

East Flatbush

 

$923

 

 

 

Flatlands/Canarsie

 

$900

 

 

 

Total 

 

$900

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Queens 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

Astoria

 

$1,000

 

 

 

Sunnyside/Woodside

 

$1,000

 

 

 

Jackson Heights

 

$989

 

 

 

Elmhurst/Corona

 

$1,000

 

 

 

Middle Village/Ridgewood

 

$975

 

 

 

Rego Park/Forest Hills

 

$1,020

 

 

 

Flushing/Whitestone s

 

$1,100

 

 

 

Hillcrest/Fresh Meadows

 

$1,050

 

 

 

Ozone Park/Woodhaven

 

$1,050

 

 

 

South Ozone Park/Howard Beach

 

$950

 

 

 

Bayside/Little Neck

 

$1,150

 

 

 

Jamaica

 

$950

 

 

 

Queens Village

 

$872

 

 

 

Rockaways

 

$900

 

 

 

Total 

 

$1,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Staten Island 

 


 

 

 

 

 

North Shore

 

N/A*

 

 

 

Mid-Island

 

N/A*

 

 

 

South Shore

 

N/A*

 

 

 

Total 

 

$850

 

 

 

*The number of rent stabilized units in Staten Island is too low to provide an accurate figure at the subboro level.

Information courtesy of the 2008 Housing and Vacancy Survey