|
|
Rent Regulations - June 2015
On This Page:
Statement from IPNTA
Attention LAP tenants! Management Targeting LAP Tenants with 2nd Address!
Stellar Management has been targeting tenants who may have a 2nd residence; weekend home; are named on parent’s home; etc.
They are looking for those tenants whose cars are registered in another state; who have phones listed elsewhere — anything showing you have another location. THEY WOULD LIKE TO PROVE THAT YOU DO NOT LIVE IN IPN AS YOUR PRIMARY RESIDENCE.
They have sent 10 day notices to vacate to at least five tenant families we know of so far. We have written to our elected officials to enlist their help in what seems to be a plan to target LAP tenants. We have also written to Stellar Management’s main office - where these 10 day notices are obviously being generated.
If you live at IPN as your primary resident - ask us for assistance or to discuss. If you do not live here as your primary residence, then we cannot get involved. You may contact the IPNTA via email; Info@ IPNTA.ORG.
If you hear from Management with their horrible way of communicating - a ten day notice - You very well may need an attorney. We have some suggestions, but if you know a good tenant attorney, by all means - contact him or her if you get the notice and let us know what happened; and which lawyer you are using. We have registered our complaint about management using this way of communicating with tenants. It’s as if tenants are guilty without having a chance to prove otherwise.
We have tenants who have already won this battle - but it seems Stellar is really trying to shake people up.
Don’t do it alone. Contact us. Oh, and PLEASE JOIN THE TENANT ASSOCIATION SO WE CAN CONTINUE FIGHTING FOR YOU.
No dues - no membership - we cannot represent you. It’s really that simple.
Letter from Gale Brewer, Manhattan Borough President
Friends and Neighbors,
As you may have heard in the news, the state laws governing rent regulation for more than one million New York City apartments expired at midnight last night. Many of our electeds in Albany are hard at work trying to renew and strengthen these laws before the legislative session draws to a close.
Let me say first: there is no emergency. This has happened before – in 1997 and 2011 – and both times our rent laws were renewed retroactively, as if they had never expired. Any deal reached this year will work the same way.
In the meantime, it is important to know your rights if you are a rent-regulated tenant:
Your landlord cannot evict you just because the rent laws have temporarily expired. If you have a lease, you are protected for at least the term of your lease.
If you have received a renewal lease, your landlord cannot withdraw it just because the rent laws have expired. Sign and return your renewal lease. If your lease will expire within 120 days from June 15, 2015 (before October 13, 2015), but you have not yet received your renewal lease, your right to a renewal is “vested.” Call the phone numbers below for more information.
If you are rent-controlled (as opposed to rent-stabilized), you are protected by New York City law and are unaffected by the expiration of the state rent laws.
If you need help answering questions or dealing with any problems such as illegal rent increases, harassment, or eviction attempts please contact one of the following:
- My office: 212-531-1609
- New York City anti-harassment hotline: 3-1-1
- Public Advocate Letitia James’ tenant hotline: 212-669-7250
New York City’s system of rent regulation is our largest and most important affordable housing program, and it must be renewed. But mere renewal isn’t enough. That’s why I’ve joined housing advocates in fighting to strengthen the rent laws by including a repeal of vacancy decontrol and reforming other policies that allow landlords to inflate rents. (Learn more about my office’s affordable housing agenda.)
I hope this information is helpful, and I hope to have better news to share soon!
Gale Brewer, Manhattan Borough President
Letter from Margaret Chin, NYC Council, District 1
Dear Neighbors,
As you may know, New York rent regulation laws expired last night, June 15th, at midnight after New York State legislators were unable to come to an agreement to extend or renew the laws.
If you are a rent-stabilized tenant, you still have rights. Here are some things you need to know:
- Stay in your apartment. Your landlord cannot evict you without bringing you to court. Only the City Marshal can change the locks under court order. If the landlord tries to lock you out, call the police.
- If you have a lease, you are protected at least until the lease expires.
- If you have a renewal lease, sign it and send it back immediately. If your lease expires on or before September 13, 2015, you are entitled to a renewal. If you are concerned about amending the lease, it is advised to sign now, make copies (for yourself), send it back via certified mail, and negotiate later. If you are still concerned, please call our office and we can connect you with legal services.
- If you are rent-controlled (not rent-stabilized), you will be protected by the NYC laws, which do not expire until 2018, and you should be protected. If you landlord tries to evict you, please call our office (212) 587-3159.
Attached is a copy of the NYC Public Advocate Letitia James’ one pager on tenant rights in Chinese, Spanish, and English.
Other important numbers:
- Public Advocate’s Tenant Protection Hotline (212) 669-7250
- NY State Dept. of Housing & Community Renewal (844) 736-8435 (RENT-HELP)
- The Mayor’s NYC Rent Laws hotline (347) 592-2404
If you are still unclear about what to do, please contact my District Office (212) 587-3159 for assistance so that we can connect you with the appropriate resources.
We have Chinese and Spanish speaking staff who are able to assist.
Margaret Chin, NYC Council, District 1
Information from Letitia James, Public Advocate for the City of New York
Download flyer (in Chinese, Spanish, and English)
Letitia James, Public Advocate
|
