Mitchell-Lama Tenants Challenge Rent Hike

Tenants at the West Village Houses, a Mitchell-Lama development in lower Manhattan, reacted strongly when management proposed a 16% rent increase in January.

Tenants in the middle-income complex “moved aggressively and swiftly in defense of affordable rents,” according to Down by the Riverside, the tenants’ association newsletter. At a meeting on Jan. 20, they voted unanimously to hire a lawyer and financial expert to challenge Kreisel/Insignia Management’s application to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development for the increase.

The tenants’ association is collecting money to cover the costs of hiring the lawyer and financial expert, soliciting letters to disprove management’s claim that increased expenses justify higher rents, and is also seeking support from Community Board 2 and local elected officials and community groups.