New court decisions mean you might
be able to slash your rent and get back into rent stabilization
Some things have changed that could
make it easier for you to get your apartment back into rent stabilization -
even if it's been market-rate for over 4 years.
What it means for you:
What it means for you:
- Rent that may be 1/3 or less of what you're paying now.
- You can keep rents low for the rest of your life - or as long as you live here.
- You'd have the right to choose a 2-year renewal lease.
- Family members living with you could take over the rent stabilized lease if you leave.
- You could challenge a loss of services without fearing retribution.
1. There
is a new on-line portal, NYS Rent Connect
(https://rent.hcr.ny.gov/RentConnect/Welcome) for easily getting
your apartment’s rent history. Or go to ORArecords@nychcr.org.
2. Two recent lower court decisions have found that Stellar intentionally exaggerated its costs for renovating and reconfiguring its apartments, so the costs may not have been enough to legally take the apartment out of rent regulation. The building manager named in the cases was the same as ours: Niti Jakupaj, and one court noted that Stellar paid its own employee's shell companies for the construction work. (The earlier decision is Rossman v. Windermere by a mid-level state court. The newer decision is Amwest Realty Associates LLC v. Michael Sargeant and Jonathan Saballos, 171 W. 81st St. ). These were civil, not criminal cases, so no one got "convicted" of anything. Rather, these were cases about getting back into rent stabilization and getting overcharged rent returned.
2. Two recent lower court decisions have found that Stellar intentionally exaggerated its costs for renovating and reconfiguring its apartments, so the costs may not have been enough to legally take the apartment out of rent regulation. The building manager named in the cases was the same as ours: Niti Jakupaj, and one court noted that Stellar paid its own employee's shell companies for the construction work. (The earlier decision is Rossman v. Windermere by a mid-level state court. The newer decision is Amwest Realty Associates LLC v. Michael Sargeant and Jonathan Saballos, 171 W. 81st St. ). These were civil, not criminal cases, so no one got "convicted" of anything. Rather, these were cases about getting back into rent stabilization and getting overcharged rent returned.
3. The courts in both cases found
that Stellar intentionally inflated its costs so the court awarded the tenants
triple damages. An intentional inflation of costs could be fraud.
Where there is fraud, you can get around the 4-year statute of limitations for
getting an apartment back into rent regulation.
If
you're interested in pursuing this after getting your apartment’s rent history,
please contact CPG Ten Assoc [a t] g mail \dot\ com.
