June 13, 2024
The rent is too damn high. Or it’s too damn low. It all depends on your POV. At a Rent Guidelines Board Public Hearing on Tuesday both opinions were presented. The hearing took place in the NY Society for Ethical Culture auditorium on West 64th Street. The eight member Board sat behind a long table on a stage facing the audience. On the floor in front of them was a digital countdown clock to measure each speaker’s allotted two minutes.
As one would expect, tenants advocated for no rent increases or a rollback while landlords cited higher expenses in calling for hikes. Additionally, several public officials spoke, including Borough President Mark Levine, and City Council Members Gale Brewer and Carmen De La Rosa. Tom Diana, owner of a building in Park Slope, was wearing a shirt with “7-Year Squatter” printed on the front of it. He told the Gazette that it referenced a person in his building that hasn’t paid rent for 7 years. According to Mr. Diana, the person was the home health aid of a legal tenant who passed away. He also said that some stabilized apartments rent for less than what it costs to maintain them. Following his two minutes at the mic Mr. Diana was loudly boo’d by the tenant dominated audience.
This landlord says a squatter hasn’t paid the rent in 7 years.
The next RGB Public Meeting will take place at Hunter College on Monday, June 17 at 7PM. On that night the Board will hold a Final Vote on rent increases. The Board provided a printed handout titled “Summary of Proposed Guidelines Adopted On April 30, 2024.” While cautioning that these ‘proposed guidelines’ were for informal use of the public and should not be substituted for the full text of a not yet published Order, it listed 2-4.5% increases for one-year leases commencing on or after October 1, 2024 and on or before September 30, 2025, and 4-6.5% hikes for two-year leases starting on or after the same dates. Copies of the proposed orders can be obtained on the Rent Guidelines Board website. You can also sign up for email updates from the RGB.