Hello everyone!
Hope ya'll staying safe at these times.
I'm hoping to find some advice from experienced folks about my RS issues.
So I requested my rent history and my apartment had been RS up until 2016 when the lease was bought out (probably) and the apartment underwent some IAI. The LL put it on the market for 2700$ (I found the archived listing on Zillow) but was never able to actually rent it out because the asking price was too high and the renovation wasn't that good. 2700$ is too much to ask even now 4 years on.
So the listing was removed and the LL reported to DHCR their mother as the tenant at 2700$. And from then on the rent kept going higher and higher, reaching a whopping 3100$ on the reports sent to DCHR by now. Which is an unrealistic price tag for the place.
Needless to say, the respected mother has never actually lived in the apartment and the neighbors (some with 20+ years of history with the building) never seen her. This was confirmed with NYPD.
I was told that IAI on top of a 20% vacancy increase would be able to get the apartment to deregulated level.
But my point is: there has never been a real deregulated tenant in place because the 2700$ threshold was too high. And I highly doubt that rent payments have ever been actually collected from the mother (the owner is a company so the rent has to be reflected on the books and there have to be corresponding financial transactions - cash deposited, canceled checks or wire transfers from the 'tenant').
According to your experience, has this apartment been legally deregulated?
What are my chances to win the case?
Thank you in advance.
PS 1: There has been severe tenant harassment by the landlord.
PS 2: I did file Rent overcharge/Failure to renew the lease with DHCR, but I was told it will take forever.