By Philip Newman
Queens housing activists have condemned the Rent Guidelines Board’s decision to allow a new round of rent increases starting in October despite what they contend are lower landlord costs.
The agency approved the rent increases last week at the U.S. Customs House in Lower Manhattan after a meeting at which some rent tenants booed and shouted “shame!”
“If not a rent rollback now, when?” asked Penny Laforest of Glen Oaks, representing the Queens League of United Tenants. “We cannot win. If costs go up, we get big rent increases. If costs go down, we still get rent increases.”
Those tenants affected by the Rent Guidelines Board’s 7-2 decision are subject to rent increases of 2 percent for one-year leases and 4 percent for two-year leases starting Oct. 1.
“The Rent Guidelines Board’s own statistics show that landlords’ costs have fallen,” Laforest said. “So how can they justify this?”
Tenant activists had called for a rollback of rents or at least a freeze on rent increases, citing poor economic times and what they called lower costs for landlords. But some landlords said taxes and the costs of repairs had risen.
“It’s time to make changes on the Rent Guidelines Board, to get working people, people of color, on that board. Not just bankers and landlords and business leaders,” Laforest said. “Remember that 85 percent of New Yorkers make $50,000 or less. Who makes enough money for the rents these landlords demand?”
The New York State Department of Housing and Community Renewal says there are 156,958 rent stabilized apartments in Queens.
Reach contributing writer Philip Newman by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 136.
