Hi,
Thanks for this site - it is such a wealth of information. I just wish I had found it earlier!
I (and another previous T in the building) have had many issues with my LL who owns MANY RS buildings in Brooklyn -- bedbug infestations, vermin, continued misrepresentations about conditions/repairs/etc, illegally withholding security deposits, lying on the bedbug disclosure forms that there has been no issues, the list goes on. A google search of the management company/LL reveals that this behavior is rampant in their buildings.
I received my DHCR rent history which shows a number of periods with perhaps illegal rent increases, it is my understanding that I can't do anything about those which are older than 4 years, is that correct?
The most recent suspicious rent increase was of the legal regulated rent from 2018-A to 2019 where the legal rent was raised ~34% and it is listed as VAC/LEAS MCI and no T is listed for 2019 where the apartment status is RS-V (vacant). I have no idea if the MCI increases were legitimate or not. A new tenant moved in in 2020 and the legal rent was raised 5%, I moved in 2021 and it was raised 1.5%. However, since 2010 there has been a preferential rent that is much lower than the legal rent. I know that this is standard in RS buildings but I am wondering how you allege an overcharge, is it based on an unlawful increase in the preferential rent or the legal regulated rent or the actual rent charged (if that happens to differ from the preferential rent listed)? The preferential rent has actually decreased since it peaked in 2018 (this is likely due to the pandemic market).
Let me know if you have any thoughts on whether or not I have an overcharge action or if there are other steps I should take. I was going to FOIL the full history and other info for my unit from DHCR. Happy to PM the full history (I have it in a spreadsheet where I've calculated the percent increases year over year). Thanks in advance!