Renter Beware: Ten Ways Unscrupulous Landlords Cheat NYC Tenants by Cezary Podkul and Lena Groeger, ProPublica
Over half of New York City tenants pay more than one-third of their income on rent and utilities. But they may be paying more than they need to. Some landlords take all sorts of measures to extract more money from tenants, including hiding the fact that their apartment is rent-stabilized, increasing rents illegally, and evicting tenants without the legal right to do so. Here are 10 ways unscrupulous landlords take advantage of tenants, and what you can do about it. Take our survey »
To find out if your building is covered by New York’s rent stabilization laws as a result of a tax break, check bit.ly/pp-rent8. To find out if your building might be covered for any other reason, follow the directions at bit.ly/pp-rent1. Read more about rent stabilization at bit.ly/pp-rent9.
Spanish translation by Cecilia Reyes.
Sources: Tenants & Neighbors, Community Action for Safe Apartments, Urban Homesteading Assistance Board, The Legal Aid Society, Legal Services NYC, ProPublica research.
