Los high rental costs in the Big Apple, which for thousands of families represent even more than half of their income, are the big headache for tenants like Sandra Morawho has lived in a apartment two-bedroom apartment in Jackson Heights, Queens, for which he pays $2,527 dollars per month. And with the increase approved last year by the Rental Regulatory Boardof the 3%, which generated multiple voices of protest, as of February 1, when his contract must be renewed, he will have to be removed from the pocket $2,602.
And in the middle of clamor of tenants who live in more than 1 million rent-controlled apartments, from political leaders, community organizations and tenant advocates, who ask the Municipal Administration to promote a rent freeze, the news is not encouraging at all. In dialogue with El Diario NY, Mayor Eric Adams in whose Administration there have been two increases: 3.25% for 1-year contracts, in 2022, and 3%, in 2023, he expressed his opposition to the fact that, as happened on several occasions in the mayor’s office of his predecessor, Bill de Blasio, Don’t raise the price of rents.
During the two years that Adams has managed the reins of the city, in which New Yorkers have been affected by the post-pandemic effects and inflation, the Rental Regulatory Board, whose 9 members were appointed by the president, has given the green light to increases that together are order of 6.25%and on the horizon for 2024 new increases are seen.
The president, whom his opponents point out as being a faithful defender of real estate companies and large urban developers, assured that he does not share the rent freeze of apartments covered by rent regulation, where some live 2.3 million New Yorkers, because it considers it unfair that owners of small properties suffer devastating consequences by not receiving more income each year.
“When people think about rent increases, they think (that it benefits) those entities that have thousands of apartments, but for communities like black and Latino communities, people who only have a six- and eight-family house, and that is their only asset, the situation is different, especially when everything has gone up for the owners,” said the mayor.
“The heating has gone up, the electricity has gone up, the water has gone up. So, If we say ‘no increases’, and those expenses are increasing, we are destabilizing those communities, “We are destabilizing people like Mrs. Jones, who came from Trinidad, bought an eight-family house and she has been holding on all this time and the only thing she has is her house,” Adams added. “So, If we are going to tell them now that with everything they have to respond to, they now have to keep their rent at zero increase, they are going to lose their homes.. The owners of large real estate developments have a different dynamic.”
And in the face of criticism that he has promoted high increases, because he is the one who elects the members of the Rental Regulatory Board, the Mayor warned that this body makes decisions independently, and even stated that he rejected plans for increases that the landlords were contemplating. .
Activists and tenants reject increasing rents in the city. Photo Edwin MartinezCredit: Edwin Martínez | Impremedia
“What is related to income is part of the Board, and when there was an attempt to increase income in 9% and 10%, we opposed”said the local president, insisting that he does not welcome any type of rental freeze. “When people say ‘don’t raise rents any more,’ you have to look deeply at the impact that would have on small property owners, and how it will impact their lives, and how they will be able to take care of their assets. That is why we must be very careful, and achieve a balance, not allowing disproportionate increases, but also being able to stabilize the owners of small properties. That is going to be my approach and people have to understand that.”
Mayor Adams He also defended the work he has done during his tenure to preserve and create more affordable housing, and largely blamed Albany for not approving roads that would help the City increase apartments for low-income communities.
“I want to be clear on that. We did not get 421a from Albany (a program that forgives real estate taxes to build a percentage of affordable housing units), we did not have authorization to convert offices into apartments. We need greater support from Albany to manage this crisis,” concluded the head of the Big Apple.
2024-01-09 11:00:00
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