Constituents faced with steep rent increases call on the IDC to pass key legislation that will tackle root causes of affordable housing crisis
QUEENS, NEW YORK — More than 50 tenants in Halloween costumes, along with local community organizations and legal advocates will trick or treat at Senator Peralta’s office to ask for the passage of three bills to protect tenants from being priced out of NYC; S.3482 would repeal Vacancy Decontrol, S.6527 will reform Preferential Rent and S.1593 would repeal the Vacancy Bonus. Tenants are calling on Senator Peralta to make these bills top priorities of the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) by getting four more of his colleges to sponsor the legislation and a commitment from Jeff Klein, the leader of the IDC to bring the bills to the floor at the start of the 2018 legislative session. Hundreds of postcards from constituents of the 13th State Senate district will be delivered to his office during the event.
WHAT: Trick or Treat and Press Conference outside Senator Peralta’s district office
WHEN: Tuesday, October 31, 2017 Time: 3:30 – 4:30 PM
WHERE:3:30 PM: Trick or Treaters will march from the 7 train stop at Junction Blvd. six blocks to Peralta’s office
4:00 PM: Press Conference at Peralta’s office: 32-37 Junction Blvd, East Elmhurst, NY 11369
WHO:The Real Rent Reform Coalition including Woodside on the Move, Chhaya CDC, Catholic Migration Services, residents of LeFrak City, Met Council on Housing, and the Community Development Project at the Urban Justice Center
Rent Stabilization is supposed to protect tenants, but the laws have become riddled with loopholes that are making New York unaffordable.
Preferential Rent is a discounted rent charged to a rent-stabilized tenant that is lower than the legal rent. While it sounds like a good deal, it is legal for the landlord to take away this discount during any lease renewal, which can result in a sudden increase of hundreds of dollars, forcing them to move. Almost one third of rent regulated apts. (250,000) have a preferential rent and in In Jackson Heights, Woodside and Corona, roughly 37 percent of households have a preferential rent.
The Vacancy Bonus gives landlords a 20% rent increase every time a tenant moves out! These increases get rents closer to $2,700, the level at which landlords may take a vacant apartment out of rent stabilization and charge whatever rent they want! It is the leading reason that rents are becoming unaffordable in New York City.
For years, pro-tenant legislation has been blocked by the NY State Senate which is now controlled by the Republicans with the support of the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC). Real Estate and Landlords gave $93,500 this year to IDC campaign committees alone.