Are middle class residents being pushed out of NYC?

[DAS]

Originally Posted by BKATL

The middle class cannot be pushed out of NYC completely. There must be a balance in class and if you just have the rich living, without the middle class NYC will fail. Think about it, why would a rich person want to work for anyone, NYPD, FDNY, DSNY, Transit, DOT, ConEd, private communication companies, city employees, and many other more. Do I really need to go on?

I asked this question on many threads, before the economic crisis occurred. When I saw that rents for 1 bedrooms were going for nearly $1500 - $2000 a month for 5th floor walkups in zip codes where the average household income was $20K a month. No one could answer then, and they still can't because you are now asking the same thing 3 years later.

[Mr.Triny33]

3%-6% rent hike approved

Rents throughout city will be going up; board OKs 3-6% hike starting Oct. 1

[Ninjahedge]

Um....

Burns, an unemployed social worker who has lived in her sixth-floor walkup since 1971 and pays $735 per month, called the increases "a really huge hardship for everybody."

In the case of tenants who've been in their regulated apartments six years or more, the board gave landlords the option of boosting rents up to 3% or by $30 per month - whichever is greater - on one-year leases, and by 6% or $60 for two-year leases.

Do you know what 3% is on $735? $22.

$22 a month!

This increase is on RENT CONTROLLED apartments. The rents went up MUCH more on the non-controlled apartments.

Tell me, how much do you think rent went up on some of these places, where things like heat are still not paid by the renter, during the gas/oil price hike?

$22 a month is NOTHING (and that also depends on what NYC defines as "base rent". Some places, Hoboken for one, allows some of the taxes and fees to be applied to the tenant. But things like sewerage and taxes are not allowed to be used in the calculation of a rent increase...)

I am not saying that people should be pushed out because of greedy landlords, but the problem is, the system does not help all those hat truly need it without hurting someone else. The misuse and abuse has to stop, and increases as paltry as $30 a month (I know, when you have nothing $30 can be seen as a lot, but we are not talking the root cause for the mass emmigration of the middle class from NYC...), those small increases should not be the root of our debate when it comes to living in the city.