Living with Legends

If you are one of the tenants who is considering getting apartment repairs from management,  a word to the wise: the cost of these repairs may be added to your rent.  According to the DHCR website for substantial increase of services, replacement of furnishings or equipment and improvements to your apartment, including demolition and removal, the landlord can add 1/40^th of the cost of the improvements including the installation costs to your rent each month.  (For example if a repair was $10,000 the amount of your increase per month would be $250.00) This increase in your rent will be permanent.  In other words even after you finish paying for the repairs you will still have to pay the increase.  This is in addition to any other legal increases to your rent.

Even if the amount of repairs is small landlords have been known to turn in receipts to the DHCR claiming that they spent much more money than they did.  Then you have to go to court and file an overcharge claim.

You may want to think twice before you vacate your apartment.  A common trick that landlords have played in the past is to get the tenant to vacate the apartment “temporarily” in order for them to carry out repairs and then to change the lock, forcing the tenant to sue to reclaim the apartment.