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To the editor:
In all the years the city's Rent Guidelines Board voted to allow landlords to raise the rent in rent stabilized apartments, never once did anybody sue. But the FIRST time they vote for a rent freeze, a group of landlords is suing to stop it.
The landlords claim the rent freeze was predetermined. So they want the Staten Island State Court to force the board to reevaluate and vote for their predetermined preference.
Landlords complain that they need rent hikes to counter increases in their expenses. Meanwhile, many tenants don't get raises to compensate for increases in their expenses, including rent hikes.
A past complaint from landlords is that some tenants, clearly a minority, stay in rent stabilized and rent controlled apartments long after they begin to get much higher incomes. The Amalgamated Housing Corporation, where I live, has a fair remedy.
When a tenant makes more than the income limit, they are hit with a surcharge. If their income drops below that limit, the surcharge is removed.
It's also removed when the tenant moves out.
One housing issue that really should be dealt with are property taxes, especially for owners of private homes. No one should be forced to sell and leave their house because they cannot afford to pay the taxes on it.
Richard Warren
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Valete
Mr. Warren effectively addressed the landlord-tenant dilemma by presenting City Hall with potential policy recommendations to resolve the current rent-controlled apartment issue.
Wednesday, July 29 Report this