Posted by Will on February 28, 2001 at 16:22:36:
In Reply to: Clinton Hill too now too gentrified for this family of 4 -- HELP! posted by a mom on February 28, 2001 at 14:38:47:
first of all what kind of building is this? are you absolutely sure you are not rent stabilized? have you checked with DHCR?
I'm afraid if you are not stabilized you're probably gonna have to figure out if you can afford the rent. And from now on if you make repairs keep all the receipts. Tell the landlord in writting that repairs aren't made within 1 month you will have it fixed yourself and deduct that cost from the current months rent....
If you have receipts for the repairs you made this past year...copy them and mail them certified to landlord demanding payment. Chances are they will be ignored...but it will give you ammunition if he protests against you withholding the last months rent when you vacate. And anything you own including fixtures you have a reciept for...take them.
Will
: I don't know what to do. I've been in my apartment for 2 years, my lease is up on April 30 and guess what -- I just received a huge rent increase (35%) that we really can't afford. I just had a baby, and I have another son; moving out just isn't financially feasible at this time. I would have to move to a very bad area in order to afford something, and as a professional with 2 small children, i'm not willing to do that. My apartment is falling apart, due to my landlord's negligence. I've put in at least a thousand dollars or more into repairs, refurbishments, on this apartment. I've put up with 2 winters of shoddy heat, leaky roofs and pipes, rotten wood floors, missing bathroom tiles, holes in the walls and ceilings, exposed wiring, a chipping facade, broken stairs, and now i feel like i'm being stabbed in the back. I've continously asked him to make these repairs and he lies, tells me he'll come by "this week" and of course never shows up. I've had the roof waterproofed myself ($400) at absolutely no cost to him, and now he's basically trying to drive me out of my apartment, he even had a real estate agent come look at it! I've always paid my rent early, kept the place very clean, even maintained the outside of the house (brownstone), including the sidewalk. Now my landlord isn't even returning my calls. I am not paying low rent either, I'm paying over $1000 for a 1-bedroom in a marginal neighborhood, so it's not like I have a steal. Should I call inspectors (although I am fearful the building might be condemned)? Can I try to lower the rent increase in court due to the building's condition? What should I do? We're very scared and really have no where to go!
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