Posted by kkane on December 20, 1999 at 15:37:41:
Hi, and thank you for reading my post -
I am living in a three-unit brownstone in Red Hook, Brooklyn/NY - have been a tenant in this building w/my partner for over eleven years, do not
know when it was built. We have been month-to-month for several years. We received a call this weekend from a gentleman who has apparently
purchased our building and will take possession in January (I believe January 1st, not confirmed.) He will be living in the first floor apartment, the
second floor is rent controlled, (our neighbors have been tenants for about 35 years, VERY low rent,) which leaves our apartment as the only
"money making" unit. He intends to raise the rent $450/month, from $750 to $1200. In the last couple years the area just north of us has become
much more developed/desirable, and rents have skyrocketed. (Our current landlord has NOT notified us that the building has been sold, he's
very hard to get ahold of. The landlord's wife DID bring this man, his girlfriend, his mother? and an inspector friend of theirs by our apartment a
month ago demanding entrance to show place to them as prospective buyers/ have the inspector go over the space. I refused - very bad
timing/no warning - and she raised my rent $200/mo. on the spot. I asked for a written notice, that's the last we heard of it.)
I've got a couple questions:
1) I have looked back through the Archives for this forum and have not been able to find a definitive answer to my first question: I understand that
if current landlord wanted to raise the rent that amount, he of course could, since our place is not rent-controlled or -stabilized, but he would have to
give us a 30-day written notice. BUT - if a new owner takes over the building, does he ALSO have to give the 30-days notice (at least 30-days
before end of rent-term, in our case last day of any month)? Trying to figure out, if he takes possession AFTERJanuary 2nd, even though
there would be less than 30 days to the end of the month, is he free to begin charging the increase on February 1st? Or worse, If he takes
possession ON January 1st, does that make our January 1st rent due to him, not current landlord, AND he can start charging the new rate
that day? Especially hard to come up with that kind of money around the holidays. SO - trying to figure out whether we might have January as a grace
period, still paying the $750 rate, to try to get ourselves into a new place.
2) I read through the NYC Access Regulations in the Archives, no mention is made of AMOUNT of access - how many days/weeks in a row are
permitted, or degree of inhabitability while repairs are being made. Are there no limits re: these two subjects? There are major repairs to be done
on the place - two walls, collapsed bathroom floor, broken windows etc. We believe that refusing to pay the increase based on needed repairs
will result in his trying to make them asap so he can justify our rent hike/ make repairs while we're still paying rent so he can up the rate for
the next tenants. Can't afford the huge loss of income to stay home, cost of putting furniture in storage.
Many Thanks!
kkane
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