Monday, June 29, 2015

FINALLY!!!


http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/30/nyregion/new-york-city-board-votes-to-freeze-rents-on-one-year-leases.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur

The board that regulates rents for more than one million rent-stabilized apartments in New York City voted on Monday night for a freeze on one-year leases, an unprecedented move in its 46-year history.

The 7-to-2 vote by the city’s Rent Guidelines Board was an acknowledgment of the precarious situation of scores of tenants whose incomes have not kept pace with housing costs. It also was the first decision on rent levels by a nine-member board appointed in its entirety by Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The board also voted to increase rents on two-year leases by 2 percent, a historic low.


.......

REACTION FROM THE RSA AND, SURELY, THE REBNY:


Joseph Strasburg, the president of the Rent Stabilization Association, which represents 25,000 landlords, called the rent freeze an “unconscionable, politically driven decision to carry out de Blasio’s campaign promise of two years ago.”

“A rent freeze on the surface may sound pro-tenant, he said, “but the reality is landlords will now have to forgo repairing, maintaining and preserving their apartments, which will trigger the deterioration of quality, affordable housing de Blasio pretends to care about.”


More at the above link.

44 comments:

Anonymous said...

So sick of these avaricious assholes. There is nothing so special about NYC that it has to be so overpriced. To some of us (a lot of us) it is simply home. It is the place where we were born and raised and we lived through all kinds of changes, some for the better, some for the worse. Who the hell do these jack-off landlords and developers think they are that they can invite in all these vile hipsters and yuppies and students to whom we owe NOTHING and jack-up the rents so that they can live ten-to-bed in tenement-style living, paying $1k per body and making those of us who live normal lives have to compete with them for space???????? You want to live in an "IN" place and pay through the nose for the privilege, go somewhere else and stop destroying New York City and displacing real New Yorkers who have lived here all their lives, contributed to the city and are not transients. I am so sick of what is going on. Fuck DeBlasio, Fuck Cuomo and Double Fuck CW Cap and the REBNY!

Atomic Man said...

Yeah, Strasborg, rent regulations hurt affordable housing. Does the RSA actually think that anyone takes their doublespeak seriously?

Let me fix that for you. Rent regulations hurt real estate speculators who pay exorbitant prices for rental properties, betting that they can dramatically increase rents in order to cover the debt service on their investments. Right, Robbie?

They have us think that every landlord is barely breaking even on the rent roll, and now they'll just have to turn off the boilers and stop taking out the trash. Please!

Anonymous said...

That sounds like a threat from RSA and an order to landlords to conduct bad behavior. The REBNY is so wealthy it has no effect on them financially but it does give a little bruise to their oversized egos that are based on total control and power.

Thank you Mr De Blasio for pushing back on Albany and taking the hit in the press! Thank you Jumanne, Corey, McKee all who got arrested in Albany.

NYC beats corrupt Albany and it is only the beginning!

Anonymous said...

Keep it very low for several years, and THEN maybe we will feel the difference.
And as far as Cuomo goes, he basically did nothing for us. So much as for flooding his office with phone calls and postcards. It does NOTHING. You understand that people, NOTHING! Just continue to bend over and take it like a man (or female, of course.)

Anonymous said...

I can't wait for Dan to throw a lux bacchanal for himself and his real estate friends, inviting select members of the press to tell them how he really relates to the middle class. Fuck him. Fuck the TA.

Anonymous said...

"So much as for flooding his office with phone calls and postcards. It does NOTHING. You understand that people, NOTHING! Just continue to bend over and take it like a man (or female, of course.)"

And your alternative to this, the TA, etc,. is do nothing?

The RGB vote was huge. As a liberal (fuck you, Frank Luntz), I was getting pissed off at de Blasio for his REBNY ties and some basic incompetence (this always being late really irritated me) but he came through in the clutch here, after MAJOR pressure from tenant’s right groups. And for those who say they will vote Republican the next time, do any of you think that if Joe MTA was elected Mayor, we would have has these historic RGB rates?

As far as the Prince of Darkness, he seems to have fucked up the upstate manhunt as well, always looking to glorify himself. He was separated from birth from George Pataki.

“Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo ordered a large cadre of non-state law enforcement personnel out of the command center as the manhunt got underway.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/30/nyregion/squabbling-hesitation-and-luck-had-roles-in-manhunt-for-new-york-prison-escapees.html

Anonymous said...

Why not have free rent. Why pay rent at all! !

Anonymous said...

I am glad de Blasio pushed back on Cuomo and stuck up for New Yorkers. And I agree there is something weird about the way Cuomo handled the prison break dismissing the law enforcement from the first meeting.

Stuy Town Reporter said...

>>Why not have free rent. Why pay rent at all! !<<

If I had my dream come true, there would be free rent for a couple of months for every resident--this after a successful lawsuit against CWCapital and Tishman-Speyer, which would also lower rents for everyone, particularly our "market rate-pseudo rent stabilized tenants. Payback for both landlords raising rents maliciously and, I believe, illegally.

Anonymous said...

And your alternative to this, the TA, etc,. is do nothing?

Was it really worth the effort? No, it was not. People fail to understand that the top 1 percent control everything, and that we are thrown the remaining scraps, all to prevent a social uprising, which I feel, isn't to far away. People have had it.
You really think our leaders are really listening to us, and really care? Just look at the increase in homelessness, and they are getting younger and younger. It's no more where in the old days, where a bum would ask you, "could you spare a nickel for a cup of coffee?" If nobody cares about a human being living on the streets, how in world do our leaders care about us. So I say, doing nothing is just about the same as doing something, unless we elect leaders who are going to grab people by the *%$*&'s and say, "enough is enough!" And by the way, we all know our T.A is useless and incompetent and cannot stand up to the "big boys". Does anyone feel better off now than they were, say 5 years ago? Case closed. Happy 4th everyone.

Anonymous said...

Joe Strasburg...just another hired gun seeking to line his own pockets.

Anonymous said...

Got that right STR. Their day will come - thieves, liars and cheaters.

Anonymous said...

I think Cuomo is an android. Have you ever looked into his eyes?

Very scary stuff.

Anonymous said...

Great photos STR

Anonymous said...

"And by the way, we all know our T.A is useless and incompetent and cannot stand up to the "big boys". "

I asked for your alternative. Oh wait, that requires real work.

"People fail to understand that the top 1 percent control everything, and that we are thrown the remaining scraps, all to prevent a social uprising, which I feel, isn't to far away."

Boy, what an inspiration you are to the civil and gay rights movements.

Anonymous said...

http://gawker.com/de-blasio-is-mad-as-hell-at-you-cuomo-1715199782

Good for de Blasio!

Anonymous said...

Inspiration my *$@#!. Get real. And by the way, if you don't already know, as far as the TA goes, you get what you pay for. What do you really expect for your $35 annual dues? Real work? Huh?...........

Anonymous said...

Cuomo is a nasty, vindictive jerk and DeB said what everybody knows, but was afraid to say it. Good for him. Unfortunately, I think psycho Andrew will probably try to screw the City even more to get more revenge, but hopefully, Preet will get him soon.

Anonymous said...

Just so you know. Alliance for Tenant Power is more militant than Tenants & Neighbors and other tenant groups. ATP is furious at Cuomo for working with the GOP State Senate majority to squeeze Assembly Dems into agreeing to the four year extender. They plan on being Cuomo wherever goes for the next three years. They want to deny him a third term.

Anonymous said...

"Inspiration my *$@#!. Get real. And by the way, if you don't already know, as far as the TA goes, you get what you pay for. What do you really expect for your $35 annual dues? Real work? Huh?........... "

Again, do you have a problem reading? It is standard on this blog for posters to always say that John Marsh sucks, Susan Steinberg sucks, the TA sucks, etc. Ok, let’s assume this logic is correct. What are you going to do about? As I have asked before, are you going to organize an alternative group?....Of course not, again, as I said, that takes a lot of hard work. Even before the TA took (wrongly, I believe) up the mantra of conversion with Brookfield, I’d say the TA membership was around 10% here, tops. With the dorm % being at least 35% (that great Yelp review), this percentage has dropped even more as the greatest generation and now baby boomers die or move out, even if the TA would be the organization you want it to be. Always, as has been posted, many long tenants here are clueless, docile, and misinformed. A least, as a poster has suggested, put your energy into the Alliance for Tenant Power as I will do going forward. But your position is to do nothing but rag on this blog. Buh bye.

Anonymous said...

@ July 1, 2015 at 3:38 PM
"And by the way, we all know our T.A is useless and incompetent and cannot stand up to the "big boys".

"I asked for your alternative. Oh wait, that requires real work."

Lobbyist troll conflates legitimate criticism of useless, incompetent TA with doing nothing.

-----

"People fail to understand that the top 1 percent control everything, and that we are thrown the remaining scraps, all to prevent a social uprising, which I feel, isn't to far away."

"Boy, what an inspiration you are to the civil and gay rights movements."

Lobbyist troll conflates comment about phony, lying, corrupt politicians delivering 100% to 1% and scraps to 99% with opposition to civil and gay rights movements.

-----

ST-PCV tenants having no honest representation are being victimized again.

Instead of wasting our time asking elected representatives Cuomo, Garodnick and the TA to stop pretending they represent us when they actually represent REBNY predators and enter into a business partnership with major REBNY predator Brookfield, we should be sending postcards to Preet asking him to represent us by investigating them.

Anonymous said...

ah, ok, so we have no TA. Gotcha.

Anonymous said...

Oh Yeah, The Brookfield/TA affordable condo conversion. I almost forgot. When is the next conversion meeting anyway? Don't we usually have two or so each year?

Anonymous said...

STR has done more for this community than anyone and he is paid $0.

Saying you get what you pay for is lame.

There are extremely productive volunteer groups who get paid $0.

The TA chose to do nothing about the scam to illegally install temporary walls to run a "First Rent" scam. That is why many of us have blocks of years where our annual rent was not registered with DHCR.

Individually we can fight it and get our money back.

"First Rent" is a landlord illegal scam to jack up rents to market rate, removing rent stabilized apartments from working and middle class families.

Anonymous said...

Positively Brilliant!


ST-PCV tenants having no honest representation are being victimized again.

Instead of wasting our time asking elected representatives Cuomo, Garodnick and the TA to stop pretending they represent us when they actually represent REBNY predators and enter into a business partnership with major REBNY predator Brookfield, we should be sending postcards to Preet asking him to represent us by investigating them.

Anonymous said...

July 2, 2015 at 6:28 PM

This WHOLE BLOG is a waste of time, including yours. Nothing will change around here. Once MetLife sold this place, it went downhill from there. We are absolutely powerless. Got it? Powerless. Have a nice weekend everyone!

Anonymous said...

July 2, 2015 at 6:28 PM All most commenters here want to do is complain online, they're not gonna do much else. Call them on it and you're a "lobbyist troll." It really is pathetic.

Anonymous said...

"Lobbyist troll conflates legitimate criticism of useless, incompetent TA with doing nothing."

This is what I was responding to:

" So I say, doing nothing is just about the same as doing something, unless we elect leaders who are going to grab people by the *%$*&'s and say, "enough is enough!"

Doing nothing. That's your position. Elect who? Who do you volunteer for? Are you running? Your talking points are vague platidues. And lobbyist troll? For who? I have done more for this hood in one week that you have in your entire lifeime.

"legitimate criticism of useless, incompetent TA"

Ok, Einstein, the question is where to we go from here? Yes, the TA fucking sucks. You're like a Teabagger who won't let go. What don't you start a blog, like dieSTPCVTA.com? What should we do, sign the Guterman agreement? That was a big hit. He got ONE signer for his vague, useless document. Oh, I guess Michael McKee sucks, is useless AND is a "lobbyist troll" as well. Why don't you go on the anony record and say that? Waiting for your solution, do nothing troll.

Anonymous said...

So, exactly WHAT have you done for this hood in one week than the rest of us have done in a lifetime? I could say I cured cancer. Saying it wouldn't make it so.

Anonymous said...

3.59

2 years ago, the portion of the East River Park just north of the Con Ed plant, was being taken over by homeless encampments. First two, then four. I took photos, filed a 311 report with the photos, and I contacted both Mendez’s and Garodnick’s offices since the area was sort of a grey zone jurisdiction wise. Mendez’s office got back to me first and after a couple of back and fourths, they contacted Garodnick’s office who I then dealt with going forward. Working with Garodnick’s office, the 13th Precinct and homeless outreach organizations, this issue has been resolved and the area is now patrolled on a regular basis by the NYPD. There is no law against being homeless or sleeping on a bench, we are all one paycheck away from being homeless but these permanent tarp structures would never be tolerated at Carl Shultz Park. They were a health hazard and a possible incubation nest for violence. This is one of several examples I can give re my community involvement. Your move, do nothing troll.

Anonymous said...

I do not understand the arguing because I think we are all on the same side, the one that wants Brookfield and Fortress out of here. All they care about is money. If all the market rate apartments filed overcharges that would get them outta here.

Anonymous said...

You guys want to do something for this hood, hit them back where they are hitting you. Their wallet. File an overcharge and get your money back. They are overcharging everyone.

Anonymous said...

@ July 3, 2015 at 3:59 PM - That may have been a rash statement, but this community is way too docile. We couldn't be bothered to turn out for Hands Around Stuy Town a few years back, most of those faces were brown and black, bused down from uptown and the Bronx. Turnout for the Mid-Lease Rent increase protest was practically non-existant. The PCVST QOL alternaTA flopped because of lack of interest despite the online hair-on-fire carryings on of QOLers. If it weren't for the seniors, the buses to Albany would have been mostly empty. It's sad and it's the way it is. The vast majority of people in PCVST like to complain, but they don't like to act.

Anonymous said...

5:49 PM I don't give a shit about what happens OUTSIDE of Stuy Town. It always was a shit hole of one sort or another. I care about what happens HERE. Btw, there are "crusties" all along 14th Street. They camp out in front of the Church and MacDonalds at the moment. As I never go across that side of the street, I really don't care. When they camp out in Stuy Town I will care.

Anonymous said...

you can file and tell folks to fill overcharges from now until 2025. There is no point. WE've tried, friends who are tenants have tried. The charges are of course confirmed and verified by DHcr. What a surprise! So stop telling people shit.

Anonymous said...

July 4, 2015 at 11:00 AM - Fail.

Anonymous said...

The great majority of STPCV tenants, both old and new, are oblivious narcissists whose inaction has nothing to do with their disagreement with The TA's direction. As long as the old timers rent remains relatively low, they couldn't give a flying fuck who owns the place and who their representatives are. The newbies are conditioned to pay rent through the nose and can afford it so they go about their self centered business. Pity any TA that attempts to rally this lot.

Anonymous said...

I agree - stop telling tenants to file overcharges since the agency and all agencies here are corrupt and will always side with landlord. duh.

Anonymous said...

http://nytenantlawyer.typepad.com/my-blog/2012/12/landlord-tricks-with-walls.html

The Landlord Overcharge Scam

Peter Cooper Village Stuyvesant Town Temporary Wall Partitions that do not change the Structure, illegally declared as a First Rent to erase the rent stabilization status.

Anonymous said...

DOB records show thousands of apartments where walls were put in then removed, with no structural changes in the actual apartment.

Anonymous said...

str
great photos on your posts!

Anonymous said...

So apartments with a rent history that shows the landlord did not register the apartment rent for a few years then all of a sudden a new rent shows up one year and it is three times the previous tenant is probably a First Rent scam apartment.

Anonymous said...

7 06 . ? Please explain. Many of us don't know what your point is or what a FIRST Rent scam is.

Anonymous said...

Someone already did the homework for us on what the First Rent scam is. Read the link:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://nytenantlawyer.typepad.com/my-blog/2012/12/landlord-tricks-with-walls.html

The Landlord Overcharge Scam

Peter Cooper Village Stuyvesant Town Temporary Wall Partitions that do not change the Structure, illegally declared as a First Rent to erase the rent stabilization status.

July 5, 2015 at 10:35 AM