Um....
Quote:
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.
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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.