Monday, March 16, 2015

Preferential Rent Vs. the Legal (Real) Rent

There have been questions on two STPCV Facebooks about rents being raised more dramatically than seemingly allowed by the Rent Guidelines Board every year. The questions were answered, but I may has well stress the facts here. I will also be adding this info the side bar.

Basically, if you are a newer tenant, you will probably be charged a "preferential rent," which will be stated in your lease rider. This preferential rent will NOT be the rent the landlord CAN charge you, which would be the legal rent. It doesn't matter that all apartments in Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village are rent stabilized, one "victory" that was the outcome of the Roberts decision. (And what a joke that victory turned out to be!) Upon lease renewal, the landlord can charge as much rent on your "rent stabilized" apartment as the legal rent allows, the preferential rent be damned.

Because of the high turnover of apartments in this community, via the transient student population, the legal rents of many apartments are now very high, a major reason the landlord loves and welcomes students, of course. (And when are the politicians going to close this loophole?)

Chances are that your new apartment in STPCV will have a preferential rent to lure you in. But BEWARE: around the corner could be an increase that could shock you.

If you are about to rent an apartment here and would like to stay long term and call this your home, please be very aware of this. If anyone makes you a promise that your rent will remain what it is, excepting normal Rent Guidelines Board increases: 1) make sure you have that promise in writing, and 2) make sure your lease explicitly states that your preferential rent will remain in effect for the entire term of your tenancy. Chances are very good you will get neither.

You can read more about preferential vs. legal rents here:

http://www.nyshcr.org/Rent/FactSheets/orafac40.htm

184 comments:

Hippo said...

Indeed the preferential rent vs. legal rent is a landlord-favored scam. As far as all apartments being under Rent Guideline Board limits, that is a joke too. Many renewals contain 14-20% increases. Landlord seduces prospective renters with preferential rent and then one-year later...bam...a huge increase based on legal rent.
P.S. Quality of life UPDATE:
1.Beer cans on steps to my building.
2.Dog sh*t and urine in the elevator.
3.Condoms in hallway.
4.Piles of garbage left outside carriage room door.
5.And finally, a drunken college kid taking a leak in the vestibule 2:00AM Saturday night.
Way to go, Mr. Landlord!

Anonymous said...

Great post STR & thank you for all you do. I know for our friends, they were not shown a lease or able to sign until the day b4 moving in. Ha. How convenient eh? The broker for ST repeatedly said the papers were not ready.

Anonymous said...

Helpful. Depressing. Thank you STR for the information.

Anonymous said...

A bait and switch RE can use while having their bought-and-paid for mouthpiece law-and-loophole making politicians say "well it is legal"

Stuy Town Reporter said...

Regarding raising the rent once a transient moves out (ie, a student), this landlord-favored loophole has been well known in STPCV for YEARS. Yet I've not heard any serious movement from any politician to do something about it. (Of course, they will all blame "Albany.") Can you imagine what the "legal rent" would be on new apartments if this loophole had never been in place?

Anonymous said...

of course "they" will blame "albany." "they" should. it's state law. the vacancy increase is one of the things "they" want gone from new rent laws. "they" also want the preferential rent loophole gone. "they" want rents renewed at preferential rent + rgb increase only. here's more of what "they" want. http://metcouncilonhousing.org/news_and_issues/tenant_newspaper/2015/january/the_tenant_legislative_platform_for_2015

about your "lack of movement." mike mckee explains it here.

http://metcouncilonhousing.org/news_and_issues/tenant_newspaper/2014/october/fate_of_rent_laws_rides_on_election

more here.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-01-15/de-blasio-s-quest-for-rent-control-power-faces-albany-roadblocks

Anonymous said...

So should I feel as if I'm lucky with a 9 percent increase? Moving would be even more expensive...

Anonymous said...

What a dump.

Anonymous said...

Let's just make up some more BS rules as we go along, make some MORE profit, and screw the hard working shmuck who goes to work everyday of his life, pays his taxes, keeps his nose clean, pays his rent on time, etc,etc,etc.
There is soo much corruption going on here it is sickening. Time for rent rollbacks. I don't see it any other way. I love living in the projects, don't you?

Stuy Town Reporter said...

>>of course "they" will blame "albany." "they" should. it's state law.<<

What if NYC said "Fuck you" to Albany?

Anonymous said...

it's getting hard to take you seriously any more. de blasio as what- the 6th sex pistol? anarchy in the ny!? that's not happening, comrade. he didn't run for mayor on an "elect me mayor and i'll completely ignore state laws" platform.

legally, the city could adopt rent rules that disregard state rent regulations if there's a statute in the law that expressly permits nyc to do that. except there's not, there's actually the opposite.

http://www.gothamgazette.com/housing/jul.02.shtml

there's always secession. that would require a state constitutional convention though and the statewide vote on whether to have one isn't for a couple of years.

Anonymous said...

STR at 12:17
That is just Fanfuckingtastic

NYC should have said that to Albany long ago in many many ways -- financially, verbally, etc etc etc


Anonymous said...

"Great post STR & thank you for all you do. I know for our friends, they were not shown a lease or able to sign until the day b4 moving in. Ha. How convenient eh? The broker for ST repeatedly said the papers were not ready."

Maybe this is something that the DA or the Department of Consumer Affairs can look into? I wonder if the BBB keeps lists of landlords? It sounds to me that what they are doing is totally illegal, let alone immoral. I know the DCA was cracking down on "bait and switch" in stores (especially electronics and jewelry stores); I wouldn't be surprised if they would be interested in landlords who pull the same scam. NOBODY should be forced to wait for a lease to sign the day before moving in! That is absolutely disgusting.
I think the hustlers on Canal Street selling "Gucci" and "Rolex" are a damn sight more honest than this bunch of despicable assholes we have running this place.

Anonymous said...

7:49 AM. That broker should lose his/her license. Your friends should have filed a formal complaint for unprofessional conduct with the entity that licenses these brokers.

Anonymous said...

I wish NYC would say "Fuck You" to Albany! Albany has been saying that to NYC for the longest time!

Stuy Town Reporter said...

>>it's getting hard to take you seriously any more. de blasio as what- the 6th sex pistol?<<

Perhaps the new Stone who could finally replace Brain Jones?

Look, city's politicians are just pussyfooting around with this "blame Albany" crap. Moving the blame along and doing nothing. Let's see some action. Even if there IS revolution in the streets, which certainly there would not be in NYC because most of the tenants here would be in favor of such pro-tenant actions. There would be upset with NY's REBNY, of course, but screw them, and let's welcome the revolution.

Anonymous said...

Can we stop blaming the "transient student population" it's not just students. Young families and recent grads are essentially forced out with the dramatic increases which allow for rent hikes too. Pretty sure most people would prefer to stay as it is almost cheaper to stay than move in this city.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

AND the TA should sue the landlord. There are so many justifiable grievances here in this community, so many twists in legality/illegality that it is actually shocking that the TA has not done this yet. And, for sure, never will, as they still are marching to the tune of tenant ownership of this property. "Please, sir, can I have an apartment to buy?" Pathetic.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

>>Can we stop blaming the "transient student population" it's not just students. Young families and recent grads are essentially forced out with the dramatic increases which allow for rent hikes too. Pretty sure most people would prefer to stay as it is almost cheaper to stay than move in this city.<<

It is, however, the transient student population that moves the "real rent" increases so dramatically. I've nothing against young families or recent grads (or other tenants) who HAVE to move because of an increase in their rent. These people are the victims.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

How about a law that prevents a landlord from raising rent on "real rent" if the tenant just stays short term?

Anonymous said...

I don't think the TA and its attorneys have the chops to do anything about all the illegal activity that CW/CR gets away with.

Anonymous said...

I just received my lease renewal form; after several years of living in Stuy town they are jacking up my rent by over 20%. I still can't believe it.

I talked to some friends in other building and the same thing happened to them.

20%. It's crazy. I don't know what to do. Has this happened to anyone else?

Anonymous said...

I know it’s very cool to blast Garodnick on this blog. And a lot of it is well deserved. But I did email him on the NYS RS law regarding CR/CWC renting to NYU directly for its students and it is, unfortunately,legal do so. If it’s legal for NYU to rent directly from CR/CWC, under NYS RS law, then it must be legal to rent to students directly with their parents guaranteeing the lease as well. Is this an abomination of the purpose of the NYS RS law? You betcha. Again the real action is in Albany, not NYC. BTW, also heard from a very reliable source, Parsons is also renting apartments directly from CR/CWC for their students. I’m sure New School is doing the same.

Anonymous said...

rent strike 😳

Anonymous said...

so you're proposing anarchy and revolution to st and pcv as the solution for getting stronger rent regulations for nyc. excuse me while i stop laughing.

your amen corner course thinks revolution's a great idea but good luck getting them to show up for it. you need to get out of your blog bubble more, str. take a walk over to associated or brunos and check out some more potential recruits for your ragtag band of anarchist revolutionaries.

Anonymous said...

Hey, how's Joe Bruno doing these days ?

Anonymous said...

They've neither the chops or the will

Stuy Town Reporter said...

>>But I did email him on the NYS RS law regarding CR/CWC renting to NYU directly for its students and it is, unfortunately,legal do so.<<

Legal, yes, but what's not legal is placing more than 3 unrelated people in an apartment, something that is happening in this complex. Let Dan (and the TA) start with that for starters.

Anonymous said...

March 17, 2015 at 5:46 PM

Garodnick and the TA would need hard numbers first. How do they get those? Going door to door and demanding to see the leases for all 8,757 apartments in PCVST? Seriously, what's the plan, Stan?

Anonymous said...

If you went to Dan for advice from a councilperson that is bad advice and does not address the matter.
If you went to Dan for legal advice from a lawyer that is bad advice because he gave no constructive ways to address the problem. He gave an answer a landlord would give or someone who wants you to do nothing about the problem. If you are looking for ways to protect yourself and address the problem, go to a better lawyer. If that was a ruse and it is really Dan pretending he emailed someone or if it is the TA pretending the Dan email (like when Dan tried to fake the Andrew Macarthur repsonse to a letter for the photo of the office building bunker) spare us. Whether or not it is legal is not the issue. There are things about how it is done that are illegal. From what I read I would start with the 3 unrelated students and the money flowing through Macracken to students then back to Compass Rock / Novogratz NYU board member and investigate and audit the renovation guy who did the dorms here and now has a job at NYU after he did $100,000 reno work on our apartment.

Anonymous said...

Exactly right at 5:46 STR
Dan is not addressing the 3 unrelated people and he does not want to. He also did not address ways tenants can fight back. He always just says it is legal so suck it. Renting to college students has been going on for years and he never introduced laws to protect this community from that. He did nothing except tell us developing the oval and installing 5000 dorms is legal so suck it up. That is not advice or words one would expect to hear from ones representative. Dan always says "it is legal" That is nothing new. Doesn't mean we have to accept it. Dan is not the last word and hopefully when his time is up he goes into private practice where he doesn't have the power of a political office to help REBNY. When REBNY wants laws written and loopholes closed or opened the politicians make it happen immediately. When a tenant or thousands of constituents are being evicted in a NYU real estate corrupt scheme Dan says "it is legal" What the hell kind of response is that and how can someone who had thousands of his constituents robbed of Roberts ruling and thousands kicked out of their homes within his own community stay in office. This is the biggest failure of a politician to his community in the history of New York City. Has any other politician had so many constituents kicked out of their homes during their term? That is his record and legacy.

Anonymous said...

Garodnick needs to stop being a lawyer and start being a councilperson advocating for us. We have not been represented in the city council since the Brookfield Tishman partnership began.

Anonymous said...

If it is legal for landlords to rent to NYU directly that is a very big hard to ignore loophole for churning RS apartments out of affordability that makes the lawmakers beyond inept and outright corrupt that no one closed that very big gaping loophole. Dan's "accepting" response as he did with killing the Oval for verison wi-fi and wiring is troubling to say the very least. Please never let Marsh, Steinberg, Garodnick be on a condo board or landlord over the fate of this community given their performances of the past few years. They would actually be worse then CR CW. It is unacceptable the dormification here to rid of the middle class.

Anonymous said...

When will we be done with Dan?

Anonymous said...

"Let Dan (and the TA) start with that for starters"

Its a few years too late for a "start"

The failing state of this community is pathetic as already declared a lost cause by De Blasio in his state of the city. A BIG INTENTIONAL FAILURE!

Stuy Town Reporter said...

>>Garodnick and the TA would need hard numbers first. How do they get those? Going door to door and demanding to see the leases for all 8,757 apartments in PCVST? Seriously, what's the plan, Stan?<<

How about starting with that post on YELP... "I was surprised they let all five of us live in my place."

http://stuytownreport.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2015-02-12T11:49:00-05:00&max-results=7

Stuy Town Reporter said...

This blog and even many posts on the TA Facebook page are excellent starters for making a case against the landlord on how this place is run.

Anonymous said...

March 17, 2015 at 6:09 PM Stop with the excuses. Riverton is doing it.

Anonymous said...

someone is trying really hard to discourage this blog so we must be doing something really right so I say keep it up STR and everyone!

Anonymous said...

3; 43: wait wait wait. 20% from what to what? what is the preferred rent ON YOUR LEASE, what is the legal? YOU CAN'T just post 1/4 of the info. Post all your info people. w.t.f.

Anonymous said...

March 17, 2015 at 9:21 PM

That's not a plan. That's a joke, right? You seriously expect our city councilman and the TA to launch legal actions against our landlord, a fucking international financial institution lawyered up the gazoo, based on anonymous comments on an anonymous blog and a FB page?

This is a plan. Neighbors would need to file 311 complaints. But first they'd have to verify that the 4 or more people in the offending apartment are all living there 24/7 and are unrelated. They'd also have to complain to the landlord and notify the TA so the TA could begin compiling hard data for your legal whatever. As I said, it's a plan. But not a very good one, is it? Because I think people talk a good game online, but most people in PCVST probably don't want to get involved or get that far into their neighbors' business.

Anonymous said...

I hear there are lawsuits in the works. We will join when they need tenants to come together. Just let us know.

Anonymous said...

A good resource collection of details on who is speaking out and who is working who and who is working behind the scenes -- the details and the dirt with the press articles too

http://truenewsfromchangenyc.blogspot.com/


Anonymous said...

A commentator on this thread seems more intent on dissuading readers of this blog from fighting back and less interested in how to take legal action. If the commentator was interested in taking legal action they would be asking Riverton how they are going about it instead of criticizing and dissuading the commentators here. There are a lot of reasons, ways and cause for legal actions to protect the residents in PCV ST and the property many have been posted on this blog, on Yelp, and other places by tenants. Don't be dissuaded PCV ST. They wouldn't be trying to dissuade you if you weren't onto something. Go big then go bigger!

Stuy Town Reporter said...

The latest hot news from the TA: The paper shredder will be in Stuy Town this Saturday!

Stuy Town Reporter said...

>>You seriously expect our city councilman and the TA to launch legal actions against our landlord, a fucking international financial institution lawyered up the gazoo, based on anonymous comments on an anonymous blog and a FB page?<<

I expect them to START such an investigation, yes.

Anonymous said...

Have written about this before. The people we need to hear from are Hoylman and Kavanagh...our state reps.
What's more, it's important for all of us to be on the same page. I support graduated increases. I see nothing wrong with at 20% increase if a tenant vacates a unit he's been in for 20 plus years.
But students come here and stay 2 years, sometimes less. Getting 20% increases in in these instances was never intended by the legislature. So maybe a 1% increase in such cases. A reasonable scale should be worked out and applied retroactively.
But as always, how are we going to do this? Who will spearhead it? How can we get Hoylman and Kavanagh on record about it?
I've been coming to the STR site for 4 years now. I've yet to see anything that has led to any action.

Anonymous said...

March 18, 2015 at 8:28 AM

You cherry pick what you want to respond to, so I'm gonna keep this simple and direct.

My question: How exactly does the TA or Garodnick go about conducting this "investigation" into which, and how many, of the 8,757 in PCVST have more than three people living in them?

Anonymous said...

">>You seriously expect our city councilman and the TA to launch legal actions against our landlord, a fucking international financial institution lawyered up the gazoo, based on anonymous comments on an anonymous blog and a FB page?<<"

Maybe they should ask the Riverton TA and lawyers representing Riverton for a few pointers. If Riverton can take on this lawyered up the gazoo institution, then the PCVST TA should be able to. I'm sure they could if they wanted to, but they simply don't want to. Why? They are not on the side of the tenants here. They, and their real leaders, Garodnick and his sleazy Brookfield, Paul Weiss, et al cabal, want to buy this dump and make a huge killing in the RE market. They will send dissenters to hell in a handbasket, along with the tenants who cannot or will not buy. We do not have a Tenants Association for all intents and purposes. You think Steinberg, Marsh, et al are on your side? Get a clue!

Anonymous said...

March 18, 2015 at 6:26 AM

Trust me, I love a good fight. But IMO this blog invariably picks the wrong opponents. Tearing shit down when there's no viable alternatives anywhere in sight strikes me as just stupid.

My advice to you. Get involved in a real effort somewhere. Join or donate to TenantsPac or Tenants & Neighbors or the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board. Join a local Club like Samuel J. Tilden Dem Club or Village Independent Dems. Volunteer for a candidate. Long ago I was told that one volunteer was worth a thousand votes.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, but I'm a bit confused. What EXACTLY is Riverton taking legal action on? More than 3 unrelated people living in an apartment?? If so, where can we get information about what they're doing? Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Parrrrrrrrrrrrrttyyy!!!!!!!

Do the math.

Sec. 27-2075 Maximum permitted occupancy
a.No dwelling unit shall be occupied by a greater number of persons than is permitted by this section.

1. Every person occupying an apartment in a class A or class B multiple dwelling or in a tenant-occupied apartment in a one- or two-family dwelling shall have a livable area of not less than eighty square feet. The maximum number of persons who may occupy any such apartment shall be determined by dividing the total livable floor area of the apartment by eighty square feet.


Parrrrrrrrrrrrttyyyy!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

We need a check - a look at number of Tenant Association members and a tally of number of residents who want to buy.
I have a feeling the TA has not been forthcoming with their qualifications on representing the community in important business matters as mci charges and purchase negotiations -- on top of their support of Brookfield CW assaults on the community and property to raise the purchase price (which for the record we are no longer interested in participating in a Brookfield partnership purchase).
Its risky as team Brookfield unceremoniously kicked to the curb our good long term neighbors and replaced them with short term bug ridden transients and then overcharged wannabe condo buyers. But I do have a feeling that the majority is still people too smart to buy into the Brookfield scam. Whatever happened to that over-glossy website about the Brookfield partnership by the way?

Anonymous said...

8:28 STR --- agree expecting them to launch an investigation.

To add, I would expect the TA and politicians to act like grown ups, listen when tenants are angry and demanding change to how they are addressing community concerns and remember they serve the community and not the other way around. Residents are not followers. The TA and politicians answer to us. Not boss us. Constituents are the bosses of politicians.

Politicians need to stop acting like a private club with the wealthy as members and the rest of us as outsiders who inconvenience and annoy when we speak up.

The residents are not sheep to be herded or idiots who must obey blindly and quietly.

It is despicable for any TA board member and politician to commit acts of revenge against constituents who disagree with what they are doing and are speaking out on this blog.

It is equally despicable to engage dozens of neighbors into harassing those speaking up on this blog.

Lastly if the politicians cannot " launch legal actions against our landlord, a fucking international financial institution lawyered up the gazoo" then America is screwed as the entire country could be taken over by "a fucking international financial institution lawyered up the gazoo" from Russia or China or Brazil or Dubai or wherever.

Absolutely the politicians should be making policies and laws to protect us from international lawyered up financial institutions.

And any and all harassment of those speaking up on this blog should be reported to authorities not embroiled in NYC RE deals.

Any ideas for reporting harassment to as many places as possible would be helpful to several of us.



Anonymous said...

Could we please ask Keith Wright to swap places with Daniel Garodnick? We NEED Keith Wright here! We do NOT NEED Daniel Garodnick (or the useless "TA").

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/uptown/uptown-lawmaker-tenants-file-10m-lawsuit-harlem-landlord-allegedly-hiking-rents-article-1.1942204

Anonymous said...

I am now pretty much caught up on the past few weeks blog posts. I can't believe what has been allowed to happen to this community or I should say what they all did. maybe we could send a lot of our complaints and requests for investigations to the new tenant harassment unit the mayor and ag just launched. We definitely need a thorough audit.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

>>How exactly does the TA or Garodnick go about conducting this "investigation" into which, and how many, of the 8,757 in PCVST have more than three people living in them?<<

Oh, I'd start with a general lawsuit against the landlord and a subpoena for the rent rolls. Then an investigation that would, yes, even include tenants coming forward with their grievances about the hording of students (or others) into apartments. Another way would be to form a cadre of intern lawyers working under a William Kunstler-type lawyer who would be dedicated to uncovering all the possible illegalities going on in the complex.

There has to be SOME serious movement in a proactive direction to make things work properly here, and not just bus rides to Albany and posts about the shredder coming to town.

Anonymous said...

Going round and round again. Completely agree with most comments about what the TA 'should' be doing. But they won't do it.

So what's our alternative?

Anonymous said...

"You cherry pick what you want to respond to, so I'm gonna keep this simple and direct.

My question: How exactly does the TA or Garodnick go about conducting this "investigation" into which, and how many, of the 8,757 in PCVST have more than three people living in them? "

They should ask the Riverton TA and their Councilman how to do it. They know how.

Anonymous said...

"Sorry, but I'm a bit confused. What EXACTLY is Riverton taking legal action on? More than 3 unrelated people living in an apartment?? If so, where can we get information about what they're doing? Thanks."

There are threads on this blog and you can always Google. Doesn't take much effort.

Anonymous said...

"When REBNY wants laws written and loopholes closed or opened the politicians make it happen immediately. When a tenant or thousands of constituents are being evicted in a NYU real estate corrupt scheme Dan says "it is legal" What the hell kind of response is that and how can someone who had thousands of his constituents robbed of Roberts ruling and thousands kicked out of their homes within his own community stay in office. This is the biggest failure of a politician to his community in the history of New York City. Has any other politician had so many constituents kicked out of their homes during their term? That is his record and legacy."

Goradnick is one of the slimiest charlatans to ever hold public office in this city. He cares nothing for his constituents and has a glib answer for every legitimate complaint. He has done nothing for us and neither has the faux TA. I wish they would all just disappear.

Anonymous said...

Here's a community with leaders who have cojones:

https://www.indypendent.org/2014/08/13/crown-heights-tenant-union-shows-way-2

http://crownheightstenantunion.org/

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20140605/crown-heights/crown-heights-tenants-plan-march-on-landlords-bid-prevent-rent-hikes

http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2014/12/24/scott-stringer-speaks-crown-heights-tenants-rally

Notice that Scott Stringer picks and chooses which suffering tenants he supports. Like Garodnick and the rest of the scum, he just uses us for a photo op.

Anonymous said...

Completely entirely agree 8:46. I do not see any good reason why the question is being asked, only bad reasons as if they are trying to convince us "there is nothing we can do so do nothing and let it be done to you"
Either that or the person asking is not as smart as they think they are and really does not know what to do but are acting like they know everything.
I don't think the questioner is stupid, I think they are trying to convince us to do nothing but roll over.
And on the answer:
"Oh, I'd start with a general lawsuit against the landlord and a subpoena for the rent rolls"

By "landlord" I would include in that lawsuit all those acting like the "landlord" these past 8 years from Robbie to Brookfield to Fortress who all had a hand in raising the rent roll and their little cronies too who quelled the people here.

Anonymous said...

Bears repeating

"dedicated to uncovering all the possible illegalities going on in the complex.

There has to be SOME serious movement in a proactive direction to make things work properly here, and not just bus rides to Albany and posts about the shredder coming to town."

BUT

they are intentionally focusing on bikinis, washing machines, shredders, and futile bus rides to protest "done deals" to cover up and hide what is going on and stop tenants from seeing and speaking out about it. Putting a tenant lawsuit in the hands of the TA and Dan is a very bad idea as they would intentionally do a weak job. A lawsuit needs to be in the hands of those without a track record of weakening the community's strength and power as the TA has. Those who had no role in the mci negotiations that increased the rent roll, or any of the many acts that robbed the community of money and quality of life. Dan and the TA have disqualified themselves from being honest loyal representatives of the renters here. It is a shameful disgrace, as someone in management said to me, what they have done to the property.

A tenant lawsuit needs to be in the hands of someone with good intentions to do right by the tenants and not protect the purchase of the Tishmans, Brookfields,Fortresses. It needs to ba against the landlord and the landlord wannabes who have together committed the illegal acts here.

So I guess the answer is "no" I do not expect or want Dan or the TA to take serious movement in a proactive direction. I would have expected a councilperson and tenant association to do so, just not this one that has proven to be no different in goals -- Tishman Brookfield Fortress are all the same, robbing the tenants and destroying the property -- with the three of them fighting over who gets the profits and none of them acting in the best interest of the people living here.
An absolute disgrace.

Anonymous said...

It is terribly disappointing. Dan Garodnick would never talk to REBNY the way he talks to us. He would never treat REBNY members the way he treats his constituents. He should at the very least treat all equally.

Anonymous said...

Where are our leaders stepping up to the plate? WHERE ARE YOU?

Anonymous said...

FINALLY. A politician changing the system! Who is demanding fair government representing the people because let's face it we currently have little to no one representing the people in government. We have many politicians representing business and the rest are towing the line compromising with one foot repping people and the other repping business resulting in half-assed representation.

Finally a politician who is saying "NO" to the Albany, City Hall, City Council political system deception of photo op press events where a politician on one hand gives people band aids to put on bullet wounds while the other hand gives RE guns and ammunition (laws and loopholes) to rob the people of money, community, neighborhood, property, quality of life.

People do not need bleeding slowed. People need it stopped so we can have a decent quality of life.

Businesses do not bleed profits.
People should not bleed quality of life.

Thank you AG for the words on the government we deserve and we are looking forward to your putting it into action.

We should demand nothing less. We deserve nothing less then the government you describe.



http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/230776/schneiderman-calls-for-sweeping-reforms-to-albany-ethics/

Anonymous said...

Buy your apartment? Are you serious or delirious?
Like buying a used car with 150,000 miles on it. If I'm going to buy something, it will have to be relatively new. Besides, we will NEVER get that opportunity. You can bank on it! $4,000 a month for a two bedroom. I could pay off two mortgages at that price. SUCKERS!!!!

Anonymous said...

If Garodnicjk ever runs for another office, I will join the campaign of his opposition. He and the faux TA are the enemies of tenants. They have a vested interest in getting as many real RS tenants out of here as they can so that they can lure market raters ("new stabilizers") into joining them in their lusted after condo conversion. They are despicable.

Anonymous said...

So many of the comments here are directed toward Dan Garodnick. But the rent stabilization laws are set in Albany. Shooting at Garodnick here is meaningless. Hoylman and Kavanagh should be your targets.

Anonymous said...

i also agree. Lawsuit cannot be initiated with TA and or dan. We all now know they are not with us. No judgment, maybe they have good reason, no reason. .... We need our own law firm without any distractions or any entity who has other issues at hand or an agenda.

Anonymous said...

BROOKLYN "LIARS FLIERS"

Broadly used PR practices, construction photo rendering lies, "creates construction jobs" as if there would be none otherwise, the joke of a press release (the PR firm removed the webpage evidence).

http://atlanticyardsreport.blogspot.com/2008/10/latest-fcr-liar-flier-recycled-paper.html

There is RE PR trickery pulled on communities in all 5 boroughs. Same cheap tricks for big profits everywhere.

I worry for the way NYC does business with its own, cheating the people; and does business with the world, laundering its criminal's money with an 80% Wealthy Housing Plan.

I worry for us citizens when the government and RE share the same PR firm knowing RE has conflicts of interest with citizens and PR trickery is used to con citizens out of homes and neighborhoods out of local small businesses.

We need more emphasis on community, small businesses, parks, and neighborhoods - the NYC culture that always attracted tourists and not this Bloomberg dream of a Dubai-like playground to attract the world's billionaires.

At least 80% of housing built should be for the majority of the population, the entire blue and white collar working class, with maybe the remaining 20% for the 1% wealthy - although we have enough housing for the 1% as evident by the empty houses.

Seriously who came up with the 80% wealthy housing with 20% poor door housing and no middle class housing - Goldman Sachs?

NYC needs a better housing plan from city government.

Anonymous said...

Thanks 12:16

Great site by a lawyer uncovering and exposing every illegal act by RE DOB Pols on the eviction of the Brooklyn neighborhood community and development of Brooklyn's Atlantic Yards Barclay Center by Ratner.

http://atlanticyardsreport.blogspot.com/p/atlantic-yards-and-culture-of-cheating.html

http://atlanticyardsreport.blogspot.com/2008/10/latest-fcr-liar-flier-recycled-paper.html

Anonymous said...

“a subpoena for the rent rolls”. Remember, CR/CWC is evil but they are not dumb. Can’t vouch for PCV but in “Sty Town”, the dorm style apartments, whether they have dividing walls or not, have two names or a max of three names on the doors. Some dorm style apartments have one name or a blank space for the names on the doors. I assume that on the lease, there will be a maximum of 3 names as well. One only has to see the swarm of so called 30 day “guest” IDs requested at the PS office to know how CR/CWC does the work around of this NYC regulation.

Anonymous said...

March 18, 2015 at 9:37 PM
That's an entirely different matter. Attorneys looking at leases at a legal clinic discovered that Riverton's mgmt company (CompassRock!) was multiple billing (overbilling) tenants for MCIs. Easy to discover, easy to prove.

What is being discussed here is going to court over apartments in ST-PCV having more than three unrelated tenants living together, something that would be much more difficult to discover since the offenders are not likely to come forward on their own and it's doubtful, to me anyway, that CompassRock would write leases with more than 3 signatures.

Anonymous said...

STR Thanks for responding. Not sure what you mean by "general lawsuit" and I'm not an attorney so I'm not comfortable commenting on its merits as an idea.

Your attorney with interns idea sounds like what's available pro bono through Dan G's housing hotline. We used them in a recent dispute with mgmt and they were great and mgmt backed off. Not sure how great they'd be in a courtroom (or if they even do litigation), especially against the kind of power attorneys CWCap would field.

There might be a better idea out there. It regards variances not being required to subdivide apartments. That's all I'll say without talking further with people who know more about it. I don't want push stuff that sounds good but may not be true.

Anonymous said...

You know, I am STILL waiting for the TA alternative (and all that entails) to be proposed on this blog. In the meantime, to all those who do not support (with at least money if not time) Michael McKee--Tenants Pac Tenants & Neighbors Coalition-but just rant and rave against the TA and Garodnick all the time, you are just wasting space. Again, as has been pointed out again and again, right NOW, the real action is in Albany. Here's Mike via Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd11lmklQDw

Anonymous said...

I truly wonder what people are looking for when they post comments here.
STR raises a truly a critical issue that we actually have some shot of influencing and look at all the misplaced remarks. Rent stabilization rules are set in Albany...so where do people focus? On Garodnick who has little or no input into RS rules. They start talking about lawsuits that will never happen. They start shooting at the TA which has shown on more than one occasion that it's prepared to do little or nothing to change this most fundamental loophole of the RS rules. And then they bring up anything vaguely related or maybe even unrelated. It all gets thrown into the wash, gets dissipated, a new topic is presented after a while and then the action-less cycle starts all over again.

Anonymous said...

Would anyone here attend a town hall meeting that Hoylman or Kavanagh might hold?

What about if we bypassed the TA and invited Hoylman and Kavanagh to a meeting that we would host on the topic of Rent Stabilization and the impact of the 'student' loophole here? Would anyone here attend? Would you be willing to help organize this?

Anonymous said...

"So many of the comments here are directed toward Dan Garodnick. But the rent stabilization laws are set in Albany. Shooting at Garodnick here is meaningless. Hoylman and Kavanagh should be your targets."

Most of the comments directed toward Garodnick are not about the rent stabilization laws, but about the destruction of this property and community by all kinds of illegal means perpetrated by this scummy landlord, with the nod and wink from Garodnick and the fake TA.

Anonymous said...

So many of the comments here are directed toward Dan Garodnick. But the rent stabilization laws are set in Albany. Shooting at Garodnick here is meaningless. Hoylman and Kavanagh should be your targets.>>>>

It's not the RS laws per se that are the major issue here; it is the breaking of those laws and the shifty, illegal destruction of this property and community by a lawless, opportunistic landlord. Garodnick give them the nod and wink and lets them get away with everything that they want to do, legal or not. He and the TA clearly have ulterior motives for doing that.

Anonymous said...

Couldn't agree more with the comment on Stringer and his photo ops. He never takes a position one way or the other. He makes generic comments that indicate he might support one thing but he could absolutely be supporting something else, you never know. Scary part is he is the favorite to replace one term Bill. He reminds me of that SNL double speak attorney character.

Anonymous said...

If you want to see one of the more pathetic letters by a long term tenant, please go to the most recent T&V "Letters to the Editor" blog section (see link below). This letter is indicative of the philosophy of many of the long term tenants here. Thank God there were some great replies to this garbage. Saddest letter of the year, so far. Vomit inducing.

http://town-village.com/2015/03/19/letters-to-the-editor-mar-19/#comment-45286



Stuy Town Reporter said...

That letter just has to be bogus!

Anonymous said...

"That letter just has to be bogus!"

I don't think so. On a closed “Back in the Day” PCVST FB page, there was a recent flurry about this issue (re the previous week’s noise letters at the T&V) and one long time tenant went into complete denial and had no sympathy for the writers of those letters. He had no issues, he lives in a bubble (like many long term tenants), there was no empathy at all.

Anonymous said...

I'd welcome a meeting with Holymen, Kavanah and I'll be there.

FYI - the older leases are much stronger than the new. Newer tenants are scared of losing their lease as management has been awful to them (moreso than older leases) Be mindful of this and sensitive. Yes, the new MR tenants are abused,overpaying and treated poorly. Their leases are loose.

Anonymous said...

"Yes, the new MR tenants are abused,overpaying and treated poorly. Their leases are loose."

The new MR tenants signed on to the higher rent to get in return the eviction of 80% of the RS tenants for opportunity to buy their own apartment (for flip investment or live in). The deal the new MR tenants made they knew, requires forcing thousands of neighbors out of their homes. I have little sympathy for the higher rent they pay given what they tried to do and did do to many nypd, fire fighters and teachers etc who recently lived here. I think the higher rent they pay is a very very small price compared to the high price they made others pay -- loss of their home. This being said, the MR should stop whining about their higher rent and file fraud complaints for overcharges on the renovation work along with many other fraudulent charges in our rents.

Anonymous said...

I'm waiting to hear from Kavanagh and Hoylman about holding town halls.

Anonymous said...

The Tenants association is to helping tenants like the Rent Stabilization Association is to the continuation of rent stabilization.

Anonymous said...

The T&V letter writer (Mr. Sternberg) is a recognizable name on their Letters page. What amazes me is that T&V chooses to print it, and shows no discretion or any interest in the well being of the long time tenants. T&V is extremely weak journalistically and editorially, and that's ALL a newspaper has, save for the ads.

Anonymous said...

I would send any monies I used to send to the TA to any candidate running against Garodnick in future elections.

Anonymous said...

I am 8:32 and 8:36. Sorry, I didn't think my first comment went through. Didn't mean to post two almost identical posts. I'm not a sock puppet!

Anonymous said...

A meeting with the "mini me" of the Albany three men in a room? What would that achieve? Weren't all three mini me's names on the letter to Andrew Macarthur about the office building photo scandal where they wanted to pretend the photo didn't exist before the three demanded it "for tenants" like everything else they do they declare being "for tenants" when it is for their own benefit to further their Brookfield agenda?
A meeting with those three would accomplish a lot for the Brookfield agenda and nothing for the tenants. Come on already. We are past that point of ignorant gullibility.

We do not lack intelligence, but we did have a blind faith our pols were acting in our best interest. That faith was lost with the past years of damage to this community and we are no longer blind and some no longer complacent or complicit with the REBNY Tishman Brookfield Speyer scheme to destroy us. By definition gullibility is a failure of social intelligence in which a person is easily tricked or manipulated into an ill-advised course of action. This blog was not tricked into going along with the construction photo scam. Some of us are no longer letting these guys trick us into the REBNY quest for more and more riches scam.

Anonymous said...

The real people living in a bubble (which we hope is about to burst):

This "exclusive" list is why tenants everywhere, upstate and downstate NYC are screwed.

http://www.rebny.com/content/rebny/en/newsroom/press-releases/2015/REBNYs_Longest_Serving_President_Honored_at_Industrys_Biggest_Event_Year_REBNY_119th_Annual_Banquet.html

"In addition to REBNY members and their guests, many public officials attended the event including: Mayor Bill de Blasio, Senator Charles Schumer, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, New York City Public Advocate Letitia James, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, and Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, among others."

Anonymous said...

March 19, 2015 at 8:07 PM

One of the problems I have with this site and the commenters on it is that so much time is spent tearing down the TA when there's no viable alternative. I would show up to your meeting. Hoylman and Kavanagh would probably show up if you can promise audience of 30 PCVST people.

Show me a viable alternative.

Anonymous said...

.....continuing on earlier blog post with NY Times Towers article - what is driving NYC rents sky high and NYC mayor de Blasio continuing Bloomberg's REBNY building higher plan:


"Nonprofits Urge the U.S. Treasury Department to Scrutinize Foreign Real Estate Buyers"



Among the group who signed the letter are Transparency International, Global Integrity, and Global Witness. They specifically cited the recent Times article that uncovered the secrecy of more than 200 shell companies at the Time Warner Center, documenting “a decade of ownership in this iconic Manhattan way station for global money transforming the city’s real estate market.” Though most of these were simply wealthy Americans, at least 16 were rich foreigners who “have been the subject of government inquiries around the world, either personally or as heads of companies,” ranging from environmental violations to financial fraud. In 2014 alone, around 50 percent of all $5 million+ sales in NYC were to shell companies, and with the lack of regulation currently in place, the movement of foreign funds is largely untraceable.

Shruti Shah, a vice president at Transparency International-USA, said, “The U.S. should not be providing a red carpet for dirty money.” In response to the letter, the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network said they agree with the concerns outlined in the letter and that they are a “fundamental priority.”

http://www.6sqft.com/nonprofits-urge-the-u-s-treasury-department-to-scrutinize-foreign-real-estate-buyers/

Money laundering is driving up the rents and driving out the communities and not rent stabilization as RE tries to blame.

Maybe Mike McKee's group could write a letter to the Treasury supporting this request for information and change in policy that is killing our American New York City society.

Anonymous said...

The letter to the Treasury to expose and end the money laundering in NYC real estate that is driving up our rents and driving out the middle class.

http://www.gfintegrity.org/press-release/joint-letter-to-fincen-on-beneficial-ownership-transparency-and-customer-due-diligence-in-the-real-estate-sector/

Anonymous said...

It sometimes appears that the TA doesn't seem to really care about people being priced out. The people being priced out are the young families and young professionals who moved in to this community planning to stay and have a home that was advertised as affordable. Now with this new rent raise (is the extent to the raise even legal) they are afraid of having to move after only a year when they are finally feeling settled and at home and eager to be a part of the community. How can any of us stand by and let this happen?! How can the TA not be doing all they can to help keep this a community instead of letting it turn into a dorm?

Anonymous said...

douchebag management CR and CWC: before we post a very long post on Yelp detailing all your abuse, put notices in buildings. lobbies. hallways.

REMOVE SHOES with heels. Especially those with NO CARPETS. Have KIDS RUN AND PLAY IN PLAYGROUNDS INSTEAD OF JUMPING, RUNNING & PLAYING BASEBALL IN HALLWAYS, APARTMENTS. PEOPLE LIVE UNDERNEATH YOU. assholes.

Anonymous said...

This morning with the few glistening snow topped tall trees remaining we are reminded of the lost beautiful park of tall trees that once was here, and now is a strip mall with food-court cafe, airport-furniture lounges, college security office building, various commercial buildings as concierge, and a very large office building.

Shame on the dirty city agencies and politicians for their assaults and crimes in PCV ST. The trees were healthier for the community and more beautiful in each season then the commercial crap the community never wanted or needed and landlords Brookfield/Tishman/Fortress use to increase their profits.

Anonymous said...

I pay higher rent. I didn't force anyone out. What the F are you ranting about? Many people file overcharges. To no avail. It's all for not.

Anonymous said...

"One of the problems I have with this site and the commenters on it is that so much time is spent tearing down the TA when there's no viable alternative. I would show up to your meeting. Hoylman and Kavanagh would probably show up if you can promise audience of 30 PCVST people.

Show me a viable alternative."

What about you doing some of the work???

Anonymous said...

March 21, 2015 at 3:32 PM Just the kind of evasive response i expected. I already volunteer for the tenants association.

Anonymous said...

"I already volunteer for the tenants association"
DUH
Of course you do. That is obvious. Why else would you try to fool those opposing the REBNY scam by rallying a group of them to get together with you, Hoylman, and Kavanagh (Dan's bff's and on all his "letters")!

Anonymous said...

Off Topic but related to Cuomo, RE, and NYU real estate grabs

Did anyone else hear about NYU Langone and a deal with politicians to close hospitals to clear the way for NYU Langone to open theirs to have a monopoly on the market in all 5 boroughs?

Anonymous said...

forgot the link that started this last fall and is now gaining a lot of steam in 2015

http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2014/10/29/state-ag-and-comptroller-sign-lich-sale-fortis



Anonymous said...

Who is going to stop Cuomo and Langone from their real estate grabs for Langone across the five boroughs including here on the LES? This needs to be investigated along with the Langone First Avenue and Stuy Town grabs. Cuomo has to go.

“I believe there’s a concerted effort to dismantle our hospital system throughout the city -- especially in Brooklyn, but not limited to Brooklyn,” he told the Brooklyn Eagle.

The Comptroller drew on the lessons learned during his tenure as Manhattan Borough President, when Greenwich Village lost St. Vincent’s Hospital. A condo is being built at the site.

“The mistake of St. Vincent’s, looking back, was just not getting in sooner to realize the financial condition of the hospital, and not having the creativity to keep them solvent,” Stringer said. “St. Vincent’s was too little, too late. The notion that the hospital wasn’t forthcoming about its financials early on limited what could happen.”

http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2014/10/31/amidst-protests-nyu-langone-takes-over-health-center-lich

http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2014/2/28/eagle-exclusive-stringer-don%E2%80%99t-let-what-happened-st-vincent%E2%80%99s-happen-lich

Anonymous said...

"I already volunteer for the tenants association."

At a time when:
ST-PCV was valued at $2-3 billion
+
Senator Schumer pledged Fannie/Freddie billions for ST-PCV tenants
+
ST-PCV tenants never needed Moelis to secure Fannie/Freddie billions
+
ST-PCV tenants didn't need a partner to own ST-PCV

Why did the TA execute a partnership agreement with Brookfield, a $25 million investor supporting and cheerleading Speyer's predatory, scorched earth, take-no-prisoners business plan to boot the middle class out of ST-PCV?

Why did the TA propose a "tenant led purchase" delivering 100% ST-PCV ownership and control to REBNY predator Brookfield instead of the ST-PCV tenants holding Fannie/Freddie billions?

Why did the TA propose a predatory, unaffordable condo conversion intended to price out any possibility of individual ownership for the overwhelming majority of ST-PCV tenants?

Why is the TA attempting to divert Fannie/Freddie billions (delivered exclusively to ST-PCV tenants by Sen Schumer to fend off predators) to major REBNY predator Brookfield in exchange for a few worthless promises to do nothing that will cost Brookfield nothing?

Why is the TA attempting to give away to REBNY predator Brookfield the same windfall billions REBNY predator Speyer sought, but miserably failed to squeeze out of ST-PCV?

Since it's nearly impossible to conceive a worse outcome for current long term RS and more recent, less protected RS residents, what types of purchase proposals did the TA reject before choosing to enter into a formal business partnership agreement with Brookfield?

Anonymous said...

Agree 11:57. We need to evaluate the other options to make a sound decision before buying. Isn't that our legal right?

Anonymous said...

11:57...Have been asking questions like this of the TA for over 3 years. No answers.

Anonymous said...

Has anyone heard anything regarding this new building façade MCI sent out in Nov. of last year? I have not received one and the TA says nothing about it. I really feel like I am left in the dark about this. If anyone received one, could you list your building number so we can get an idea about what is going on here?
Thank you everyone!

Anonymous said...

Two or three years ago a neighbor reported proof of illegal overcharges to both the TA board and to Dan Garodnick's office (a really young guy there if anyone knows his name?). Both of them gave no help and pretended it never happened. I think that neighbor moved - haven't seen them in a while. If they are reading this, please get back in touch.

Anonymous said...

Buying W H A T? Nothing is for sale. Come on people - get a grip.

Anonymous said...

March 19, 2015 at 10:22 AM not to curb your enthusiasm but he is in the photo with the REBNY lawyer who raised our rent roll for Brookfield at the REBNY gala and more likely his speech will result in a lot of photo ops and pr spin of politicians making themselves look like they are calling for changes. If you look at the results, not the photo ops or proposals, but the results. REBNY got great results from lawmakers every year. Tenants got bad results, no results, compromised results, and broken promises.

Measure only on the results. Not the words or proposals that never passed. REBNY would not be satisifed with anything less than their laws passing. We should not either.

Here is another take on the speech:

https://nt2ny.wordpress.com/2015/03/17/golden-age-of-graft/

Golden Age of Graft
March 17, 2015
tags: Andrew Cuomo, Eric Schneiderman, New York Times

Anonymous said...

An earlier commentator noted when Viverito hugged Garodnick after her speech. What does a hug mean? A reconsideration of the very bizarre hug Cuomo gave Heastie and is Silver still running the ASsembly?:

https://nt2ny.wordpress.com/2015/03/22/on-second-thought/

"the controversy over Cuomo lifting Heastie off his feet in a bear hug. We thought initially that people were reading too much into this incident. It was just a moment of exuberance, an inadvertent thing. That’s what we said in our post.

But later in the day, we began to have second thoughts. That’s when we read what Cuomo had said about Heastie shortly after the bear hug incident. Cuomo basically said that Heastie was a puppet and that Silver was still in charge of the house.

It occurred to us that you don’t have good will towards a person one moment, wanting to hug him, and then turn around and belittle him the next.

The more we thought more about the incident, the more we thought it truly, truly odd. If you’re just getting to know someone on a professional basis, just establishing your working relationship, you don’t grab him and lift him off the ground and twirl him around in front of other people. And you don’t have your staff post photos of it on the internet.

It’s as if Cuomo was consciously or otherwise trying to show dominance over Heastie."

Anonymous said...

How would one provide real Proof of overcharges? Many of our dear friends need help with this. G and TA and ? not helpful. I wonder why.

Anonymous said...

Home ownership is a Wall Street / RE Ponzi scheme heavily promoted by governments. Think twice before buying in PCV ST especially before the next bubble bursts. People lost trillions in the last bubble. Buyer beware. Be very wary.

Anonymous said...

Thousands of evictions in Peter Cooper Village Stuyvesant Town and a $100Million dollar increased rent roll is a Crime.

Brookfield / Fortress / Tishman

Harvard and Rice University just did a study on the impact of eviction on families and it is long term,long lasting. It should not be brushed under the rug, "out of sight out of mind" as Dan and the TA board bring in their new stabilizers.

Stop evicting PCV ST to churn apartments for your greedy landlord schemes! A councilpersons priority should be to keep constituents in their homes. Period.

"Massive numbers of evictions are not a sign of individuals who have failed. Rather, they are symptomatic of laws, institutions and underlying structures bent on maintaining inequality."

http://www.truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/housing-evictions-can-take-severe-longterm-toll-on-families


"A recent study by researchers at Harvard and Rice Universities explored the impact of housing evictions. According to the study's abstract, it finds:

Millions of families across the United States are evicted each year. Yet, we know next to nothing about the impact eviction has on their lives. Focusing on low-income urban mothers, a population at high risk of eviction, this study is among the first to examine rigorously the consequences of involuntary displacement from housing.... Compared to matched mothers who were not evicted, mothers who were evicted in the previous year experienced more material hardship, were more likely to suffer from depression, reported worse health for themselves and their children, and reported more parenting stress.

Mothers, as the Harvard/Rice research concludes, are particularly vulnerable because they most often provide the emotional glue that holds a family together."

Anonymous said...

The success or failure of a politician should be in part measured by number of constituents evicted / displaced in their district.

Anonymous said...

March 21, 2015 at 3:32 PM Just the kind of evasive response i expected. I already volunteer for the tenants association

So, you're part of the problem, not part of the solution! So what's your point?

Anonymous said...

At 03/21 3:32 don't attempt to reason with the troll.

Anonymous said...

4:01 pm -- our politics are monumental failures if what you say is correct. I believe you are correct.

Anonymous said...

March 24, 2015 at 5:58 PM

My point?

My point is you clowns bitch endlessly about the TA but that's all you do. March 19, 2015 at 8:07 PM wants a non-TA meeting with Hoylman and Kavanagh and asked for help organizing it. So do it. So far that commenter has gotten no response.

That just reinforces my opinion that all the people willing to volunteer to do anything around here have already done so - so there's no viable alternative to the TA and there won't be one. Prove me wrong.

And please don't pull a weasel-out like March 21, 2015 at 3:32 PM. I'm already volunteering with the TA so I'm not the one who has issues with the TA. It's on you to help March 19, 2015 at 8:07 PM with the meeting.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Anony 8.21 AM. I also am a “grunt” TA volunteer. When I have suggested to the criticizers of the TA (and they are legit criticisms as well as the over the top ones) to run for the TA Board and change the organization within, one’s gets the usual, you are just a TA troll, the organization is too corrupt, nothing can save it, etc., etc. Sounds very familiar to the Republican Party’s criticism of the ACA, destroy it but where‘s your REAL alternative? None, since that takes a lot of hard work.

Anyway as I posted before, this is where the real action is year, Albany. If you don’t contribute time or money to them, you are part of the problem.

http://www.tenantspac.org/donate

Anonymous said...

I too am concerned regarding this potential new MCI. No one talks about it on Facebook as well. Either there is no available information of nobody cares at this point.

Anonymous said...

The T.A has been extremely tight lipped about everything lately. I guess they can't match the other sides high priced legal council and have given up for the most part. They were our only hope. Sad.............................

Anonymous said...

Cuomo's con to weaken the Working Families party and con women


"Cuomo’s critics derided the party as both a cheap pander to female voters and a slick maneuver designed to weaken the Working Families Party by siphoning off votes from its base, even after the party negotiated a deal with the governor to grant him its ballot line. After the election, W.F.P. New York state political director Bill Lipton released a statement saying Cuomo had “squandered millions on a fake party.”

"A spokesman for Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, who served as one of the party’s two public faces along with former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, did not respond to a request for comment. "

"Almost five months after Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Women’s Equality Party garnered the more than 50,000 votes it needed to retain a ballot line in future elections, the party still has no formal leadership or bylaws, a spokesman for the state Board of Elections said."


http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2015/03/8564754/little-sign-life-cuomo-created-womens-party

This is what and who we are dealing with in Albany on our rent laws. Cuomo Hochul are not favorable towards working class people.

Anonymous said...

The Tenants Association was founded in the fall of 1971 as the Stuyvesant Town Tenants Association for the purpose of “promoting the unity of the tenants….and to initiate the programs and collective action which will inure to the benefit of the tenants and their families.”
-Forgive me, but I pulled a stomach muscle from laughing so much.
-Time for another Revolution.
-It's just a matter of time.


Anonymous said...

Cooper Union and Riverton are getting investigations they need which is great.

But When and Who has the balls to take on the big fish - the REBNY and NYU real estate land grab mass eviction in Peter Cooper Village Stuyvesant Town?

My lease also says my apartment cannot be used as a dorm. NYU website says my building is a dorm. Who has the balls to investigate that? Are they too afraid of De Blasio? Garodnick? Novogratz? Langone? Shorris? Cuomo? or whoever with dirty hands in the scam here? Who and how many are involved and who is blocking the investigations? There is a lot of dancing around PCVST and NYU but no one taking on the big fish and the stench is getting more rotten.

Is the entire system, city, state and federal against the middle class in Peter Cooper Village Stuyvesant Town or is there somewhere an honest authority to investigate this REBNY scam?

http://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-attorney-general-eric-schneiderman-is-investigating-cooper-union-1427244617

Anonymous said...

We don't need to waste more time with staged meetings with those who already said they are helping with the REBNY Brookfield purchase aka "tenant-led bid". It is not going to help tenants but it will help REBNY. So I will pass on the above invitation and hope that March 19, 2015 at 8:07 PM passes too.

Anonymous said...

Wall Street and RE (Blackstone REBNY Speyer Goldman Sachs) control housing (and the Fed) in all of New York State and expect their boy Cuomo to be President so they can control the country. Look how easily they took over the so called progressive candidate in NYC who is now putty in their hands. Question remains will Hillary be President and give Cuomo a stepping stone position in the administration or will he first ragingly implode and go away?

http://nypost.com/2015/03/24/cuomo-is-quacking-up/

Stuy Town Reporter said...

Too much name calling recently among certain posters. Some of which can't pass, so beware.

Anonymous said...

I heard back from Kavanagh's office. He does hold town hall meetings but does not have one scheduled near term.

I'm going to press. Haven't heard back from Hoylman. Will call tomorrow.

Anonymous said...

2:27 PM: I wouldn't vote for Hillary if she were running for dog catcher. I will vote for ANYBODY but her!

Anonymous said...

A scam plan

http://gothamist.com/2015/03/26/citys_rezoning_plan_slammed_by_hous.php

Anonymous said...

To remind us all:

http://www.wall-street.com/2014/01/02/bill-de-blasio-takes-oath-as-nyc-mayor/


NY, NY, US (4E) – Bill de Blasio took his oath as new mayor of NYC on Wednesday and vowed to a crowd of 5,000 who attended the inaugural ceremony that he will fulfill his campaign promises soon.

“We won’t wait. We’ll do it now,” declared the 109th NYC mayor, referring to building more affordable housing, stemming hospital closures, expanding community health centers, taxing the wealthy to fund full-day pre-K and after-school programs, and continue reducing the crime rate.

Former President Bill Clinton swore in de Blasio, whom he described as “the future of our city and our country.”

Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former U.S. Secretary of State and a possible 2016 presidential candidate, also attended the noon ceremony on the steps of City Hall.

De Blasio, 52, worked as a regional director of Housing and Urban Development under the Clinton administration and was Mrs. Clinton’s campaign manager for the 2000 NY senatorial election.

Coming in as the city’s first Democrat mayor in 20 years, de Blasio praised his predecessor Michael Bloomberg for leading the city through difficult times...


New Corporation Counsel Zachary Carter, Comptroller Scott Stringer Public Advocate Letitia James were also sworn in during the ceremony.

Invited officials and guests included Justice Eileen Bransten, actor-singer-activist Harry Belafonte, actor Steve Buscemi and Rev. Dr. Fred Lucas."

All around bad. Very bad.

Anonymous said...

I've spoken to Carlos Ortiz at Kavanagh's office. My single focus is changing the vacancy decontrol rules so that landlords cannot benefit to the tune of 20% by a tenant leaving in 6 months, 1 yr, etc. This gaping loophole in the law has become CW's keystone for manipulating values down here. I Suggest you call or write Kavanagh's office too. I've requested a town hall meeting to hear his views. It's always something with these guys. Right now it's the budget. So being patient doesn't help. You have to press no matter what. Kavanagh's number: 212-635-8052.

Have also called Hoylman's office. His liaison to STPCV is David Kruger (sp?). Number is: 212-635-8052. You should call him too and request a town hall meeting, maybe a joint meeting with Kavanagh.

Since the TA isn't moving on this, I'm willing to set up time and place if Kavanagh and Hoylman respond.
Now it's time to do your part. Call or email...and tell them you want to have this meeting. They are the right instruments and changing vacancy decontrol is the right issue.

Anonymous said...

Critics: De Blasio's Zoning Plan Favors "Luxurious Market Rate Housing For The Rich"

http://gothamist.com/2015/03/26/citys_rezoning_plan_slammed_by_hous.php

Good for Rosie Mendez for speaking out against the de Blasio plan for 80% housing for 1 percent of the population, the "wealthy only" city Mayor de Blasio is building.

Rosie Mendez is one of the best representatives of her constituents. This is how awesome Rosie Mendez is:

http://www.boweryboogie.com/2014/12/rosie-mendez-goes-lower-east-side-nuclear-samy-mahfar-stooge-opposition-rally-yesterday-video/

Anonymous said...

New york first Responders are the best. Simply the best.

"He said within two minutes, at least 20 fire trucks rushed to the scene and more were still arriving."

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/major-building-collapse-downtown-new-york-city

Reminds us all we need to push the DOB to make sure all NYC existing buildings are safe, with ZERO violations / BEFORE they build new ones.

Anonymous said...

Are our Safety Standards too low and our buildings too fragile? What happened to more durable buildings with better fireproofing? I hear our PCVST apartments and doors were smartly constructed to contain fires so they don't spread (before the renovation installation of the fake flammable walls in 5000 apartments). Why aren't we building smarter instead of higher?

Parking garage under construction on 57th street collapses last month
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/02/25/emergency-responders-on-scene-of-collapse-in-midtown/

2 weeks ago Woman killed by luxury condo curse at former St Vincents

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/plywood-fatally-strikes-woman-37-manhattan-sidewalk-article-1.2153435

Lower East side building explosion and collapse today

http://www.smh.com.au/world/new-york-apartment-block-collapses-after-fire-tears-through-building-in-manhattans-east-village-20150326-1m8v9u.html

Richard Emery needs to change the DOB mission and operations. This is really bad.

Anonymous said...

We are blessed with NYC First Responders
Photo of them in action.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/03/26/new-york-city-building-collapse/

PCVST used to be a community of many firefighters, good people who would go to the end of the earth to rescue you. PCVST should be returned to the good people who once lived here and rebuild the community of generations of hard working people that made this place so good for 50 years.

Anonymous said...

The cause of the building collapse and fire is a gas explosion where Con Ed was doing work on gas pipes.

John Banks, former head of Con Ed knows full well NYC is in very poor shape with decaying gas pipes

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/24/nyregion/beneath-cities-a-decaying-tangle-of-gas-pipes.html

NYC is known as a glaring example of America's crumbling infrastructure.

Instead of doing what is right, addressing the decaying pipes, John Banks, now head of REBNY is pushing politicians to "build higher"
That's right, build higher on top of a crumbling infrastructure.

Build Higher housing plan is bad for working class people and dangerous too.

Anonymous said...

Did everyone see this greedy eviction? This is how NYC treats its Elderly
The Italian American Museum should be ashamed if itself.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/26/nyregion/in-little-italy-an-eviction-fight-with-a-curious-twist.html?contentCollection=nyregion&action=click&module=NextInCollection&region=Footer&pgtype=article

Anonymous said...

... renovation work at explosion site

Michael S. Clendenin, a spokesman for Con Edison, said several buildings on Second Avenue — including the two involved, 121 and 123 Second Avenue — have been “undergoing renovations” since as far back as last August.

“Based on records here, the building has had some work done inside; new gas service pipes; a lot of things; piping and such,” Mr. Clendenin said."

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/27/nyregion/reports-of-explosion-in-east-village.html?_r=0

Anonymous said...

The building in the LES explodes and every news report talks about how people who live here have been there for years and how New Yorkers rush in to help when there is tragedy. That is the New York, those are the New York people de Blasio should be building housing for and helping stay in their homes. Instead of kicking them out for empty sky high rises.

de Blasio RETHINK your housing plan!

Anonymous said...

REBNY bragged on twitter

Real Estate Board NY @REBNY · 7h 7 hours ago

#Brooklyn is King of Residential Permits for Third Consecutive Year - http://ow.ly/KPZF9 #NYC #RealEstate



"Building Permits for NYC Residential Units Topped 20,000 in 2014; Up 11 Percent From Last Year and 84 Percent from 2012

The New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) authorized construction of 20,329 residential units in 1,513 buildings in 2014, an 11 percent increase (in units) from 2013, when permits were issued for 18,378 units in 1,383 buildings, according to a New York Building Congress analysis of U.S. Census data.

This marks the fifth consecutive year that the number of authorized residential units has increased from the previous year. In addition to the double-digit percent increase from 2013, the number of permits issued in 2014 was up 84 percent from 2012, when 11,034 permits were issued, and up 241 percent from a post-recession low of 5,953 units in 2009."

http://www.buildingcongress.com/outlook/?utm_source=&utm_medium=&utm_campaign=

Are we paying for the DOB with our taxpayer dollars because it seems to me REBNY should pay their salaries for all the results and growth they get for REBNY meanwhile we live in buildings with thousands of outstanding violations on top of crumbling steam and gas pipes.

We need a Mayor who invests in a strong infrastructure and not in over the top luxury housing. The DOB should cease on permits until they reduce the number of unsafe conditions.

Anonymous said...

Look at the bare spot next to the PCV fountain. A huge bare spot and giant eyesore. Can't imagine what CR was thinking when they did this. Some dog owners actually lift their dogs over the fence.

Anonymous said...

10:29 I don't understand why you are doing that meeting. Kavanagh and Hoylman have already made it clear they are with Brookfield and Dan. Why are you separating them?

Anonymous said...

Below is a link to the names of the people who bought Cuomo and own Albany

Here is one of the things they get in return:

"NY Board of Regents Vote
What the hedge fund managers bought: a New York tax structure that lets them pay lower tax rates than working people – and avoid some taxes altogether

Hedge fund managers and billionaires in the richest one percent pay a smaller share of their income in combined state and local taxes than do lower- and middle-income families, according to a recent report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.[4]"

http://hedgeclippers.org/hedge-funds-albany/#.VQQ3tkLGjaw.twitter

They are stealing our hospitals, schools, and homes while they are paying less in taxes than you. Think about that on your bus ride to Albany!

Anonymous said...

De Blasio, Kavanagh, Hoylman, Garodnick, Stringer, Cuomo are all OWNED by the filthy, evil REBNY. They are anti-New York for New Yorkers. They are THE ENEMY. Don't anyone ever think for one moment that they are friends of this once great, but now decaying, city and its citizens.

Anonymous said...

3:27. post the info and meeting date - sign on Facebook or ?

Anonymous said...

lcv fountain has been pathetic for 25 years. Don't complain or management will get angry and take the whole thing down and put in something even more ridiculous.

Anonymous said...

March 26, 2015 at 3:27 PM

If you want to be taken seriously, you should understand the difference between "Vacancy Decontrol" and the the "Vacancy Allowance."

Vacancy Deregulation (Decontrol): A process by which a rent regulated unit becomes deregulated if at the time it next becomes vacant, the legal rent is $2,500 or more.

Vacancy Allowance: A provision in the Rent Regulation Reform Act of 1997 allowing owners of rent stabilized units to raise by a certain percentage the legal rent of a vacant unit. For an incoming tenant who opts for a two-year lease, the vacancy allowance is 20%. For an incoming tent who opts for a one-year lease, the vacancy allowance is 20% minus the percentage difference between the Rent Guidelines Board's (RGB’s) then-current guidelines for a two-year and a one-year lease. For instance, if an incoming tenant opts for a one-year lease, during the 2011-2012 guideline period, the standard one-year vacancy guideline would be 16.5% and the two-year guideline would be 20%. Other factors affect these percentages as well (see also the "Vacancy Bonus" and the "Special Low Rent Increase.")

Anonymous said...

4:17...if you don't make it clear to your reps that you are watching and care, you'll get nothing. Make it clear that we're a large voting block ready to go against them. What's your idea? Do nothing?

Anonymous said...

1:53...Thanks. good clarification.
Question: many units here have legal rents and preferential rents in excess of $2500. What happens when new tenants move in with incomes of 300K? Are these units then decontrolled? I keep hearing that all units here are still under RS.

Anonymous said...

March 28, 2015 at 2:10 PM

All units in ST-PCV are rent stabilized because of the Roberts decision. They will remain rent stabilized, whether they are over $2,500/month or not, until 2020 (I am pretty certain about that date being 2020, but not 100%) when the J-51 tax break ends.

What happens when new tenants move in with incomes of 300K/

After 2020 vacancy decontrol will become an issue in STPCV when inits are vacated. It will also affect tenants in existing RS apartments with rents over $2,500/month if the household earns $200,000 or more for two consecutive years.

Anonymous said...

"Kavanagh and Hoylman have already made it clear they are with Brookfield and Dan."

Are they actually on record actively stating they support and endorse Garodnick's Brookfield scam? Or were they present, staring at their feet and saying nothing while Garodnick pretended his disgraceful "tenant led purchase" delivering multiple billion dollar windfalls for Brookfield, multiple lucrative revolving doors for Garodnick and nothing for tenants somehow benefits tenants?

Actually, there's no difference between tolerating corruption and participating in it. We get the same result - Brookfield gets everything and tenants get nothing.

Anonymous said...

The rent laws and regulations will always be corrupt because Cuomo put BlackRock in charge of Housing. To add to the demise of the people and enrich the one percenters, De Blasio put NYU Shorris and Goldman Sachs Glen in charge of NYC, Goldman and NYU being two of the most corrupt, scandal plagued entities in this century. NYU with its executive overpay, luxury apartments for kids of executives, fraudulent RE land grabs, workers / human rights violations on its construction in Dubai, and so on. Goldman, that list is so long, suffice it to say, stole trillions from Americans to fill their pockets and bought politicians who wrote laws to do it all again.

Anonymous said...

Vacated units can be decontrol if the rent goes over $2500. There are exceptions to the decontrolling. One is if the building is receiving certain tax benefits...like the J-51 abatement.
The j-51 program runs for 34 years. Meanwhile CR keeps churning apts to jack up legal rents.
Does anyone know when the current J-51 program here will run out?

Anonymous said...

No wonder Wall Street remains unscathed after ruining millions of American's lives when Wall Street crashed the American economy.

Schumer has a long history of extensive fundraising from the finance industry (much of which, of course, is centered in New York). A 2008 New York Times report found that he "repeatedly" took steps "to protect industry players from government oversight and tougher rules," and has "helped save financial institutions billions of dollars in higher taxes or fees."

http://www.vox.com/2015/3/30/8312443/chuck-schumer-senate-leader

Anonymous said...

does anyone know when and where the divide will happen breaking us into two separate units - a residential unit and a retail unit. With the residential units being the rentals and the retail units being the condos? When are they going to disclose this information they devised years ago? How many units do they have for their retail division now - over 6000? pathetic the city politicians are dong this behind everyones back ruining everything in Peter Cooper and Stuyvesant Town. they better not block our property entrances come campaign time trying to shake our hands with their greasy REBNY palms. i won;t vote for a single one of these rotten public non-servants.

Anonymous said...

REBNY and Wall Street seem to be doing a lot of questionable quasi foreclosure / special servicer / new owner LLC crap going on all over NYC to decrease the number of rent stabilized apartments and buildings. We need a new city auditor to look into the REBNY financial manipulations of NYC real estate where its all the same few players with different llc or partnerships investing all together. Something stinks to the high heavens in all this.

Anonymous said...

It's very bad news that slimy Schumer is being promoted. I don't think he's any better than Shelly Silver. He's very devious and has a lot of conflicts of interest.

I think I would rather vote for an honestly vile and corrupt Republican than anyone oh these slimy Democrat shits we have in New York. They literally make me want to vomit. I cannot ever vote for anyone of them ever again.

Anonymous said...

Actually, there's no difference between tolerating corruption and participating in it. We get the same result - Brookfield gets everything and tenants get nothing.

March 30, 2015 at 1:28 AM

AGREE. A town hall meeting with Hoylman and Kavanagh would yield a good show on a phony fight.

There is no difference between participating and tolerating, rather promoting Dan's plan with their presence signaling approval while they were looking at their feet.

Anonymous said...

March 30, 2015 at 2:29 PM

You are probably talking about the "LLC Loophole" that allows wealthy donors to ignore political contribution limits. Since the SCOTUS ruling in Citizens United, NY state law allows one wealthy person to set up an unlimited number of LLCs, and then each LLC can make the maximum legal political contribution allowed per individual. It's how the REBNY PAC called Jobs For New York was able to flood $ millions into anti-tenant GOP State Senate races upstate and into almost half of NYC's City Council races in the last election.

Buildings are not rent regulated, individual apartments are. Landlords across the city are deregulating regulated units in a perfectly legal way via "vacancy decontrol." Our landlord is able to raise rents on stabilized units to over market rates perfectly legally via the 20% vacancy allowance and apartment improvements after a vacancy occurs.

A "city auditor" can do nothing because, again, all this bullshit is perfectly legal under state law. Vacancy decontrol happened thanks to Gov George Pataki and the GOP majority in the State Senate in 1997 and so that's where it needs to be reversed. Cuomo has to be pressured to pressure the GOP majority in the State Senate to agree to eliminate vacancy decontrol and the vacancy allowance but that will be difficult, but not impossible, since the GOP State Senate is owned outright by REBNY. Jeff Klein and the other four "Independent Democrats" in the Senate are merely rented by the REBNY and can be made to flip. Cuomo has also taken $ millions from REBNY. People need to be hounding Cuomo about this by phone, by mail, and in person. TenantsPAC and other groups are sponsoring buses to Albany for that purpose. There was one earlier this month. The next one's in May.

Anonymous said...

March 30, 2015 at 2:13 PM CWCrapital has made it perfectly clear that they will be around for another six years so that's that. At that point they will probably try to hand us over to their parent company.

Anonymous said...

The very people who caused the housing bubble and its subsequent burst and the Wall Street crash in 2008 are now buying up all those foreclosed properties and renting them and doing the same kind of thing they did with mortgage-backed securities. Blackstone is leading the pack in this latest reincarnation of the old scam. I can't believe the legalized corruption and destruction of people's lives that is so rampant in this country.

Anonymous said...

11 05 and i agree. Have been saying this for a long time now. Elected Dems in NY are far worse than Republicans.

Anonymous said...

." Our landlord is able to raise rents on stabilized units to over market rates perfectly legally via the 20% vacancy allowance and apartment improvements after a vacancy occurs.

Our landlord is cooking the books
The numbers don't add up
Do the math

Anonymous said...

what happens when you call 311

50% of the time you get someone who is very helpful, does their job, finds the proper way to report your problem and get the city to take action.

50% of the time this happens.

https://cleanupjamaicaqueens.wordpress.com/

So the chronic caller decided to post photos of the illegal acts to show the evidence so 311 doesn't pull the same tricks saying "no violation at that time" of their visit to the site. Just like the DOB does with their complaints when they come days later and say no "violation at this time" after giving the construction company the heads up they were coming by.

The DOB needs to be torn down and rebuilt from scratch with a completely different mission and operating procedures.

Anonymous said...

link for above comment on calling 311

https://cleanupjamaicaqueens.wordpress.com/

Anonymous said...

BTW the second post on the Queens blog describes the City Council's latest trick to push their agenda on NYC. They already decided changes they are making in our communities and brokered the deals with their business coffer fillers, so now they solicit "your story" for things like small business, the subway, big chains, - what you the community wants to see so they can use edited pieces of the survey in their promotions for the changes.

“I want people in the community to feel like [they are] part of the development that’s happening,” Binda said.

MORE BULLSHIT COMING FROM THE MOUTHS OF JAMAICA’S LEADERS: AS USUAL SAME OLD FUCKING SHIT!
March 25, 2015

https://cleanupjamaicaqueens.wordpress.com/author/cleanupjamaicaqueens/

Anonymous said...

Investigate NYC
(Get information on your buildings)

LOOK UP CURRENT & PLANNED CAPITAL PROJECTS NEAR YOU
(Or: The Creepy Case of the Rampant Remediations)

http://www.investigatenyc.com/look-up-current--planned-capital-projects-near-you-or-the-strange-case-of-the-rampant-remediations.html

Anonymous said...

TOTALLY AGREE

WALL STREET, REBNY, AND NY POLS ARE RUINING PEOPLE'S LIVES!

Anonymous said...

Comments like the ones from March 31, 2015 at 1:37 PM and March 30, 2015 at 11:05 PM make me think that they're shills for REBNY.

Anonymous said...

Our landlord is cooking the books
The numbers don't add up
Do the math


^^^ demand a full blown investigation then. How is this possible and NOT a Damn thing being done to investigate. Have the tenants contacted with DHCR to complain? And if so, what was outcome?

Anonymous said...

Have been saying this for a long time now. Elected Dems in NY are far worse than Republicans.

What is this, Fox News wacky world? Do you know what the GOP has been doing to us since 1993?

In 1993, landlord lobbyists told GOP Senate Majority Leader Ralph Marino that they'd cut off their campaign contributions to the GOP led State Senate unless rent laws were renewed with decontrol included. So Marino and his GOP said "no" to renewal unless it included high rent deregulation of vacant apartments renting for more than $2,000/ month and high income deregulation on $2,000/ month apartments where tenants earned $250,000/year. Cuomo I and the Assembly capitulated.

It got worse in 1997 after GOP Gov Pataki got elected. Joe Bruno, the new GOP majority leader, announced that he'd let the rent laws expire completely on June 15, 1997 unless the Democratic led Assembly agreed to phase them out completely in 2 years. 10,000 tenants went to Albany to scream bloody murder. Labor unions ran ads targeting the governor and the GOP State Senate for wanting to end rent regulations. Even so, rent laws expired at midnight, June 15 1997 with no deal. At 2:00 am, a deal was announced. Rent laws were renewed for 6 years, but at a cost.

Pataki and Bruno got a “statutory vacancy bonus” that allows landlords to raise rents on vacant apartments by a minimum of 20% for a two-year lease. They also got new limits on enforcement regulations, birthing a new era of rent overcharging and fraudulent decontrol of vacant apartments. Landlords illegally deregulated apartments without bothering to spend the money to renovate the apartment to get it up to the $2,000/month rent necessary to deregulate. Sound familiar? This problem only got addressed last year with the creation of Cuomo II's Tenants Protection Unit (TPU) but Dean Skelos' GOP led State Senate refuses to provide enough funding to allow the TPU to do its job.

In 2003, Pataki's rent renewal bill included an amendment to the Urstadt law that prohibits the NY City Council from making any law affecting rents or evictions, except for the periodic renewal of city rent control.

Another 2003 Pataki amendment was in the area of preferential rents. Landlords had been required to offer renewal leases based on the lower preferential rent to rent stabilized tenants with preferential rents and could only jump up to the legal rent when the apartment became vacant. Pataki's bill changed the law to allow the landlord to increase rent to the legal rent upon lease renewal, subjecting thousands of STPCV tenants to huge rent increases.

Please get smart. Silver was inept. Now he's gone. The GOP has been single-mindedly dismantling rent regulations on behalf of landlords for the last 20+ years.

Anonymous said...

Just saw the outdoor lunch area for Compass Rock employees outside the playground. They used the term "accessory to commercialize the Oval. What loophole terminology did they use to build their outdoor lunch area for employees while they took away residents open space, walkways and made our children's playground smaller? Who permitted the outdoor eating area and what did they call it so DOB would be able to look the other way while our pols tell us "it is legal"

Anonymous said...

demand a full blown investigation then. How is this possible and NOT a Damn thing being done to investigate. Have the tenants contacted with DHCR to complain? And if so, what was outcome?

April 2, 2015 at 6:22 AM

Although I am not the original poster I think we all have a clear picture now.

Your Q demand a full blown investigation then
A The culprits are the same ones who would do the investigation

Your Q Have the tenants contacted with DHCR to complain?
A The DHCR is head is BlackRock (Tishman Speyer partner), DHCR and TPU is run by REBNY owned Cuomo and his appointees, DHCR can only help as much as RE will allow them to even if they wanted to do their job right and honestly help tenants they cannot with their hands tied by BlackRock and REBNY.
Your Q And if so, what was outcome?
A Are you the same guy who keeps insanely asking this question over and over again? The outcome is the DHCR is run by RE. There is your outcome. Move on already.

Anonymous said...

Probably going to move on when we want to move on, not when you tell us to. Many many residents here have questions and filed complaints. YOU are not helpful. Stop posting your insanely posts over and over.

Anonymous said...

9:31 stop blaming those on this blog for your troubles. No one here is obligated to help you. Many here are helping tenants. Stop complaining and stop blaming people like 7:35 who is actually very helpful. If you really filed complaints with DHCR and they are not getting answered then you find a way to get your complaint addressed by the City from the City and stop blaming people on this blog. They do not work for you. They are doing all they can and doing a lot more than they are under any obligation to do. No one on this blog owes you. The City owes you. Redirect your hostility because you are coming off as either unappreciative or a troll. I hope it is the former. We don't need trolls. We need people fighting for themselves. A lot of people fighting for themselves.

Anonymous said...

Real Rent Reform (R3) and the Alliance for Tenant Power, two coalition groups, are making the repeal of vacancy deregulation the #1 effort in Albany. Also: repeal of high income/high rent deregulation, getting rid of the 20% vacancy increase, and going back to figuring increases on the preferential rent, not the legal rent. The law changed about that in 1993, I think. These changes would be good for everyone here, whether old-time tenants or newcomers. Newcomers should get behind changing the law about increases on preferential rents--that change alone could make the difference between being able to stay and having to move out.

Anonymous said...

Instead of waxing the floors and washing them every other day, maybe we could use that extra $ and put it towards a rent DECREASE. Not sure our service person in our building is so busy, leaves at 4 pm, comes at 9 am. and spends hours on the floor of the basement. Day in , day out. Nice.

Anonymous said...

Do the lottery winners ( paying more than $2800 a month) get the protection of keeping the rent about the same? And has the rent ever gone down? One year vs two year for renewals? What do people generally do? Thanks! Amazing community here!