If your building is fighting a rent increase, you need an advocate -- in many cases an accountant. (Click here to find a list of lawyers)
If your building is still in Mitchell-Lama, the landlord is only entitled to the cost of running the building plus a 6% return on his investment. The cost of running the building may rise where the landlord invests money in something that benefits the whole building, such as a new roof, elevators, or windows.
But: the rents may only stay at the increased level until these improvements are paid for. At that point, the rent should go down again.
You need a careful, informed review may also be necessary when the building is about to leave Mitchell-Lama.
So you need someone who can go over the landlord's claimed costs and income with careful eye.
In addition, when fighting a rent increase at the state's Division of Housing & Community Renewal or the city's Department of Housing Preservation & Development -- or the federal Department of Housing & Urban Development -- those agencies often respond better to professionals.
Here are some accountants recommended by tenant associations:
Steven Greenberg, CPA
20 Broad Hollow Rd. #1001
Melville, NY 11747
Phone (631) 271-8000
Fax (631) 271-8001
sgcpa@optonline.net
Jeff Resnick
The Resnick Druckman Group LLC
469 7th Ave., Suite 1300
New York, Y 10018
Phone: 212 594-2020
Fax: 212-629-0293
Long Island Office:
14 W. Hawthorne Ave., Suite 105
Valley Stream, NY 11580
Phone: 516-561-5190
Fax: 516-561-5356
