Tenant Griseida Jiménez worries that she will have to pay more for her rent-stabilized apartment in Washington Heights if the Rent Guidelines Board decides so in the coming months.
“I hope not, because if they raise it how can one survive if everything is expensive. Food is expensive and if the rent goes up too, then how are we going to survive, we won’t be able to survive in life,” said Jiménez.
The Rent Guidelines Board made a preliminary recommendation to increase between two point seven percent to four point five percent for apartments with one-year leases.
While those who live longer and have a two-year contract could see increases between four point three to nine percent.
Freddy Holguín says that he and his family are simply not given the money to pay more if they approve a raise, putting him at risk of being homeless.
“If they raise the rent, at least for me and my sister, I don’t think we could pay it because things are very difficult. Food is expensive and everything is expensive,” Holguín said.
In the Big Apple, around one million apartments are under the stabilized rent program that allows low-income people to rent their homes at a more affordable price.
The owners of the real estate cannot raise the rent without authorization.
“It’s too much, it’s going to create a tragedy, right. Because it is going to continue adding to these cases of evictions that we are seeing. People are not going to be able to pay these amounts, these increases, and we are going to continue adding fire to this eviction crisis,” said Jennifer Hernández, of Make the Road NY.
The Rent Guidelines Board will hold an open public hearing on Tuesday, April 26 to hear testimony from tenants and landlords.
More information visit the website rentguidelinesboard.cityofnewyork.us
There are still two months to go before the final vote takes place.
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