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Help interpreting rental history document

NYC Rent Regulation: Rent Control/Rent Stabilized, DHCR Practice/Procedures

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Help interpreting rental history document

Postby htxir » Tue Aug 02, 2022 4:10 pm

Hi there,

I requested my rent history from DHCR & it appears that my unit was deregulated in May 2013. However, it doesn’t appear that they reached the thresholds required. My lease does not explicitly state stabilized or not.

In May 2013, the deregulation rent threshold was $2,500. The last legal rent shown before deregulation is $2,125.06, for a lease ending on 08/31/2012.

Here’s all the data from the document from 2003 onwards: https://i.imgur.com/asYnVPK.png

I moved in to the unit in Oct 2018, and and have renewed since then. My rents have been:

* Oct 2018: 2300.00
* Oct 2019: 2334.50 (1.5% increase as if unit was stabilized)
* Oct 2020: 2150.00 (COVID decrease)
* Oct 2021: 2150.00

I’m up for renewal again in a couple of months and want to be prepared in case I get faced with a large increase. Am I missing something here, or does it appear that I should be stabilized?

Thank you!
htxir
 
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Re: Help interpreting rental history document

Postby TenantNet » Tue Aug 02, 2022 4:49 pm

This issue has been extensively discussed on this forum. It would help if you poke around on the other similar threads. For deregulation thresholds, see https://hcr.ny.gov/system/files/documen ... 2-2020.pdf
The unit's rent in 2012 was listed as $2,125. What most LLs have done is use individual apartment improvements (IAI) to jack rent up. In many cases it's just fraud. But if the LL legitimately spent $15,000, that's 40 times the difference between the old rent and the threshold.

If legally deregulated, then the LL can charge above or below the threshold.

But a lot of entries from 2005 also seem suspicious. Do your homework to see what actually happened over all those years and think about filing a case with DHCR.
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Re: Help interpreting rental history document

Postby htxir » Tue Aug 02, 2022 6:04 pm

Yeah, I had been looking at that document through my research here! I also checked out the IAI factsheet..

I wasn't able to find any relevant looking permits when I looked up the building with the DOB.

Next step: certified mail asking the LL what happened between 05/21/2012 & 05/24/2013 that allowed them to deregulate the apartment?

(Aside... the DHCR's webpage right now for what the complaints process is totally broken, with placeholder text about how the complaint process works. Sigh. https://hcr.ny.gov/complaint-process)

Thank you for your quick response, and congratulations in closing in on 10,000 posts!
htxir
 
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Re: Help interpreting rental history document

Postby TenantNet » Tue Aug 02, 2022 7:40 pm

I'm not so sure if certified mail to the LL at this time would be best. I'd dig deeper with Dept. of buildings to see if there are any permits. Ask neighbors See what improvements other tenants might have had. The history referred to a MCI application. FOIL that.

I keep forgetting about the number of posts. Keep me talking, but not tonight. Can I win a prize somewhere? Do the math, the forum's been up about 20 years.
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Information from TenantNet is from experienced non-attorney tenant
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