Sam Himmelstein's latest Ask Sam article on BrickUnderground.com addresses how landlords use false pretenses to enter a tenant's apartment. Click Here to Read The Full Article
Co-op and Condo Forum
On Tuesday, 10/29- HMGDJ's Kevin McConnell will be participating as featured speaker a symposium sponsored by NY State Senator, Liz Krueger. To learn more the rights of tenant-shareholders & condominium unit owners, along with the a discussion on the new legislation regarding coop shareholders rights to reverse mortgages- click link below.
No more double-dipping for landlords in Lower Manhattan
Most New Yorkers complain about substantial and crushing rent increases. Wanting to pay the same rent - or only a modest increase - doesn't make you greedy. It just makes you normal, especially when you live in a place where renting is more of a necessity than a choice.
How would you feel if you found out that your landlord was getting a multi-million-dollar tax break while simultaneously trying to increase your rent by 10, 20 or 30%? Thousands of renters in Lower Manhattan don't have to imagine. They have lived through it for the last 6 years.
Sam Himmelstein's latest, "Ask Sam," column on The Brick Underground addresses the question - How can I get access to my apartment after a fire?
Sam Himmelstein quoted in Brick Underground: Can my landlord kick me out of my apartment to move in his family?
Sam Himmelstein's column on Brick Underground addresses the Question-
New law significantly helps people facing eviction
How important is it to have an attorney in housing court? A review of the one-year-old NYC Right to Counsel (RTC) law shows that evictions in New York City have decreased markedly since the law went into effect.
RTC is the first law of its kind in the U.S. Passed in late 2017, RTC provides lawyers to people facing eviction who otherwise could not afford one. Under this law, renters who have incomes under 200 percent of the federal poverty level are eligible for free representation in eviction cases. The RTC NYC Coalition is also trying to pass a bill to increase the federal poverty level threshold to 400 percent to make more people eligible for assistance.
These tenants fought harassment and won
Tenant harassment is not something you should just live with. It's illegal and you have the right to take action. That may seem overwhelming and confusing, but with help from fellow tenants and an attorney, you can fight back against harassment.
A recently decided case in New York, Caban v. Silver, illustrates the issues tenants may face when they are subject to harassment by their landlords. The tenants in this case were victims of numerous types of harassment from their landlords, including:
Locked out of your apartment? Here's what you can do.
Accidentally locking yourself out of your apartment is bad enough, but if your landlord locks you out, you are facing an entirely different set of problems. Is your landlord harassing you? Are you in a dispute with your landlord? They are not allowed to change your locks without giving you a new key unless they have a warrant of eviction.
If you come home and find that your key no longer works, you need to take action right away. Your first stop should be a police station in your neighborhood. You can view this list of locations to find out where to go. Let the police know that your landlord illegally locked you out of the apartment.
How 74 pages of text will change lives in New York City
New York City is an amazing place. It is home to more than 8 million people with diverse backgrounds, cultures and life experiences. Did you know that people speak over 200 languages in the city? Or that a child is born every 4.4 minutes?
Of those millions of residents, more than two thirds are renters. As one of them, you know that the city hasn't always had your back. The living conditions rarely reflect the sky-high rents you pay. If you are fortunate enough to pay less, you are often forced out by landlords who know how to use legal loopholes to increase rent.
Housing Stability and Protection Act of 2019 Rent Overcharges
UNDERSTANDING THE NEW RENT LAWS, PART 1 -
RECOVERING RENT OVERCHARGES JUST GOT EASIER FOR NEW YORKERS
On June 14th, New York Governor Cuomo signed Housing Stability and Protection Act of 2019, which is the most substantial rent law passed on the past 50 years. A million or so New Yorkers who live in rent stabilized or rent-controlled residential units will be impacted this landmark bill.
