Wed: May 6, 2009
The Rent Guidelines Board Tuesday night took the first step toward raising the cost of stabilized apartments
next year, approving preliminary increases on one- and two-year leases.
In
a 6-to-3 vote, the board approved an increase ranging from 2% to 4.5% for one-year leases and from 4% to 7.5% on two-year
leases.
Last year, the board authorized increases of 4.5% on one-year
leases and 8.5% on two-year leases.
The vote angered the small, but
vocal group of tenants and activists who attended the Manhattan meeting, protesting that the board should be far more sympathetic to renters'
plights in tough economic times.
"I'm not happy, and I'm
worried," said Wasim Lone, 57, a Queens social worker who said his $1,100 monthly rent already gobbles up half his income.
"I think this is excessive.... It's not right."
Joe Strasburg of the Rent Stabilization Association, which represents landlords, argued that without a legitimate increase, owners'
costs couldn't be covered by rents, possibly forcing them out of business.
"There are no winners here tonight, [because] if those owners lose their buildings, their tenants are going
to suffer," he said.
