Three Rent Hikes Okd By Rent Guidelines Board Giuliani Blames OPEC and Clinton

While nearly 200,000 Queens apartment renters were digesting the latest bad news from the citys Rent Guidelines Board (RGB), charges and counter charges were swirling between New York and Washington.
Quietly buried in the news were other rent increases, ranging from a three percent boost for lofts, to a very substantial ten percent hike for sublet apartments.
Citing bloated home fuel costs, the RGB granted the following three housing units, higher than anticipated increases, starting October 1, 2000:
 For rent stabilized apartments Four percent increase for one year lease; and six percent for a two-year lease.
 For lofts Three percent increase for one year lease; and five percent for one year lease.
 For sublet apartments a ten percent increase to primary tenant.
Mayor Giuliani who had opted for lower rent increases, publicly described the rent hikes as "unfortunate." He declared that they were caused by the OPEC nations "price gouging, without any adequate response from the Clinton administration."
Reminding the mayor that he appointed the members of the RGB, the local offices of the New York Tenants and Neighbors Coalition also called two members of the Board "unfit for public office" and demanded their removal.
Expressing her concern that New York is rapidly becoming a city for the very rich and the new rent guidelines are doing nothing to alleviate this problem, State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky (D-16th SD) declared, "Doubling the increase on one-year leases from two percent to four percent, and increasing the two year lease renewal from four percent to six percent makes it more difficult for people to live in Queens."
Edward Hochman, Chairman of the Rent Guidelines Board said that, because of the many cost complexities that were being considered, this years decision was very difficult.
"Our mandate," said Hochman, "is to protect tenants from catastrophic rent increases. It also requires us to ensure that landlords are fairly and adequately compensated for their costs. This year, eight of our nine board members were unhappy."
In order to ensure that the city rental laws remained in effect, the City Council had already enacted legislation last March to extend rent regulations for rent stabilized and rent controlled apartments. Queens Councilman Archie Spigner cited the Councils survey which showed "a continuing critical and declining shortage of available rental units, there is clearly a justifiable basis for extending the rent regulations laws."