4 ms·

How does this jack up prices and force people out? The article mentions petty lease violations, but if a tenant is committing "petty" lease violations, then th

How does this jack up prices and force people out? The article mentions petty lease violations, but if a tenant is committing "petty" lease violations, then there are lease violations. Neighbors in my building regularly left trash in the hallway. It was gross and fits the bill for a petty violation. The landlord had no proof and so couldn't (wouldn't) enforce. That said, lease violations go both ways with the added requirements of NYC housing laws. If a landlord is violating either, however petty, they are violating. If hot water is 119 and not the required 120, its a violation. It's binary. To be clear, I'm not in favor of biometrics for this use case. A key fob, pin code, or dial by name system doesn't seem broken, so why "fix it" and add the risk that sensitive biometrics info is leaked because of hacking/theft/accidental loss. I'm seeking to understand what the root of the concern for being forced out is over a change in method used to enter the building?

bdowling 3y ago
Two issues: (1) Subletting by a rent-controlled tenant to a sub-tenant, for a profit and without the consent of the landlord. (2) “Giving” a rent-controlled apartment to a friend or family member, without the consent of the landlord. A rent-controlled apartment that a tenant has held for 20+ years and is renting at a small fraction of the market rate is a valuable asset that some tenants want to capitalize on.
- olalonde 3y ago
  Bingo. I think that's exactly what tenants are really worried about. The "racist gentrifiers" narrative just doesn't hold up.
  - oatsandfieldso 3y ago
    [flagged]
- ocrow 3y ago
  It doesn't even require that the tenant be trying to "capitalize". Perhaps they are subletting for a few weeks, or just having friends stay over on the regular. If that is disallowed by the lease agreement, it's enough for the landlord to begin an eviction proceeding.
- jobs_throwaway 3y ago
  Yeah, this is a huge thing here. I have some friends moving into one of their great-uncle's 3-bedroom apartment in the West Village that is rent controlled at < 1/3 the market price. They've been scheming it for literally years. Its great for them but terrible for the market at large, and we'd be better off as a society if these things didn't happen.
- bdowling 3y ago
  One more issue: (3) Tenants holding onto apartments that they no longer live in.
shagie 3y ago
If the tenant is short term renting out the apartment to more than two people or is not there during that time (e.g. Airbnb), then the property owner is in violation and will be cited. How does a property owner protect themselves to identify if an apartment has more than two non-tenants staying there for less than 30 days or that the tenant isn't in residence in the apartment during that time? Key fobs and PIN codes are not sufficiently strong to ensure this.
thrwy_918 3y ago
the real issue here is that rental control is awful policy and leads to these kinds of bizarre market distortions abolish rent control and legalize building more housing

bdowling 3y ago

Two issues: (1) Subletting by a rent-controlled tenant to a sub-tenant, for a profit and without the consent of the landlord. (2) “Giving” a rent-controlled apartment to a friend or family member, without the consent of the landlord. A rent-controlled apartment that a tenant has held for 20+ years and is renting at a small fraction of the market rate is a valuable asset that some tenants want to capitalize on.

olalonde 3y ago
Bingo. I think that's exactly what tenants are really worried about. The "racist gentrifiers" narrative just doesn't hold up.
- oatsandfieldso 3y ago
  [flagged]
ocrow 3y ago
It doesn't even require that the tenant be trying to "capitalize". Perhaps they are subletting for a few weeks, or just having friends stay over on the regular. If that is disallowed by the lease agreement, it's enough for the landlord to begin an eviction proceeding.
jobs_throwaway 3y ago
Yeah, this is a huge thing here. I have some friends moving into one of their great-uncle's 3-bedroom apartment in the West Village that is rent controlled at < 1/3 the market price. They've been scheming it for literally years. Its great for them but terrible for the market at large, and we'd be better off as a society if these things didn't happen.
bdowling 3y ago
One more issue: (3) Tenants holding onto apartments that they no longer live in.

shagie 3y ago

If the tenant is short term renting out the apartment to more than two people or is not there during that time (e.g. Airbnb), then the property owner is in violation and will be cited. How does a property owner protect themselves to identify if an apartment has more than two non-tenants staying there for less than 30 days or that the tenant isn't in residence in the apartment during that time? Key fobs and PIN codes are not sufficiently strong to ensure this.

thrwy_918 3y ago

the real issue here is that rental control is awful policy and leads to these kinds of bizarre market distortions abolish rent control and legalize building more housing