I am living in a basement apartment on Long Island. The landlord gave me a letter stating that my rent will increase by 20% as of Oct. 1, 02. This letter is dated for Sept. 13, 02. I have a few issues with this. I am already paying much more than the place is worth. Second, my living here was a verbal agreement and I have lived here for two years now. Also, there was another tenant in the home who moved out a few days ago and I think the LL made an arbitrary decision to raise my rent to help offset the cost of not having the other tenant. Lastly, the landlord is not reporting the fact that he has tenants in the home and my bathroom is in need of major repairs.
Please advise on what my rights are since I do not have a written lease agreement!