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IMPORTANT NEWS FOR NEW YORK CITY TENANTS

new_york_city_council_banner_nyrebog_com_.gifDear New Yorker,

 

Quinn1.jpgWe wanted to share some important news for New York City's tenants.

 

Rent Guidelines Board's Decision by Court of Appeals

 

You may recall, in June 2008 and June 2009, the Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) authorized rent increases on the City's one million rent-stabilized apartments.  

 

They also took the unusual and controversial step of authorizing supplemental increases on tenants who've lived in their apartments for more than six years and pay less than $1,000 in rent.  

 

Believing the board had exceeded its authority in doing so, several tenants filed a suit challenging the legality of the 2008 and 2009 supplemental increases.

 

In January 2010, the NYS Supreme Court ruled that RGB did not have the authority to impose the extra rent charge for long-term tenants, and on June 22, 2010, the Appellate Division affirmed that ruling.  Unfortunately, on March 24th the State's highest court, the Court of Appeals, reversed that decision. 

 

Like many New Yorkers, we're deeply concerned with the Court's decision and the impact this will have on nearly 300,000 tenants.  However, we won't let this setback deter us, and we'll continue to fight hard to protect the 2.5 million people in our city living in rent-regulated apartments. 

 

Fighting to Renew and Strengthen New York's Rent Laws

 

This past month, we sent a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos calling on them to renew New York's rent regulation laws, which are set to expire this June. 

 

But in order to truly protect tenants, we need to do more than just extend these laws - we need to strengthen them as well. 

 

In addition to urging our state leaders to renew these critical protections, we have also called on them to:

 

eliminate vacancy decontrol - a major incentive for landlords to harass tenants out of their apartments, which prompted the City Council to pass the landmark Tenant Protection Act (Local Law 7 of 2008); 

reform the Individual Apartment Improvement and Major Capital Improvement systems, as well as extend rent stabilization to all Mitchell Lama and Project-Based Section 8 buildings; and 

ensure that new state laws don't eliminate the important gains tenants have made through the courts, particularly in Roberts v. Tishman Speyer, the case involving Stuyvesant Town in which the NYS Court of the Appeals ruled that tenants in units benefiting from J-51 tax abatements are protected from high rent vacancy deregulation and high rent/high income deregulation.

 

We recognize and appreciate the fact that the City and State need to make difficult financial and policy decisions this year.  However, deciding whether or not to continue to protect the 2.5 million people who live in rent regulated apartments shouldn't be one of them.  

 

City Council and Administration Unveil New Bed Bug Website

 

This past week, we joined NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Deputy Commissioner (DHMH) Daniel Kass and NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Deputy Commissioner Vito Mustaciuolo in launching a new web-based bed bug tool that will provide New Yorkers with accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date information on how to prevent, recognize, and treat bed bug infestations.

 

This new website came out of recommendations from the NYC Bed Bug Advisory Board, which found that the lack of educational materials and dissemination of inconsistent information were impeding safe and effective ways to prevent and control bed bugs.

 

Additionally, HPD and DHMH have collaborated to create a comprehensive new model for responding to bed bug complaints in residential properties.  Under their new protocol for issuing violations, the agencies will require owners and managers of properties where bed bug infestations have been identified to: 

 

inspect and treat units adjacent to the bed bug infested unit;

use a licensed pest control professional to treat the infestation; and

employ a variety of treatment strategies rather than depending on chemical pesticides alone. 

 

If tenants believe they have an infestation, they should first contact their landlord to inform him/her of the problem.  If the landlord is unresponsive, tenants should call 311 to report the problem to HPD.

 

We'd like to thank our Bed Bug Advisory Board (created in 2009 through Local Law 14) and the Administration for continuing to work with us to provide New Yorkers with the tools and information they need to protect themselves against these bugs.

 

While steps like these are vital to stopping the spread of bed bugs, we realize it's going to take more to rid our city of these outbreaks completely, and we will continue to push for additional tools and resources, including at the state and federal levels.

 

To visit the City's newly launched bed bug website, visit  nyc.gov/bedbugs .   

 

City Council & HPD Announce First Closing in Program to Turn Stalled Private Developments into Affordable Housing

 

This past month, we joined Comptroller John C. Liu and Former NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Rafael E. Cestero to announce the first closing in our $20 million pilot program aimed at turning unsold condominiums and stalled construction sites into affordable housing. 

 

When the economic and housing crisis hit, the City was forced to look at new and innovative ways to solve age-old problems.  With the credit crunch leaving so many buildings empty and so many New Yorkers looking for an affordable place to live, it seemed natural to take those two problems and make them into a solution. 

 

Thanks to our Housing Asset Renewal Program, we have successfully created 46 new units of affordable housing and turned a stalled construction site in Brooklyn into a community asset.  The program also has a robust pipeline.  There are currently four projects with more than 200 units in negotiation, and HPD is reviewing applications of projects totaling more than 450 units.  

 

We'd like to thank the Mayor, his Administration, and the members of our Affordable Housing Task Force, whose hard work helped lead to the creation of this program.  

 

We've shown that with creative thinking and teamwork, we can help turn blights in our neighborhoods into great community assets, and we look forward to celebrating additional closings in the future. 

 

Looking Ahead

 

While the Court of Appeals decision in the RGB supplemental increase case was a disappointing loss, we've also had some pretty significant announcements and wins, and we'll continue fighting hard to help make housing in our city safer and more affordable for all New Yorkers.  We can't do it alone, though, and we'll continue to keep you updated on our progress and alert you to any actions you can take.  

 

Thank you.

 

Sincerely,

Christine C. Quinn

Speaker

NYC Council

 

Erik Martin Dilan 

Chair, Housing & Buildings Committee

NYC Council                                                                                                                                         

 

Helen Diane Foster

Chair, State & Federal Legislation

NYC Council

 

Gale A. Brewer

Council Member & Lead Sponsor of Local Law 14 

NYC Council

 

Daniel R. Garodnick

Council Member & Lead Sponsor of Local Law 7

NYC Council

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