Series: Committee Files Box# 050135 Folder# 31 CONTINUING THE STABILIZATION OF RENTS IN CERTAIN HOUSING ACCOMODATIONS 1994 a; I 5' Housing and Buildings 46?- M. Vow/M th?O THE COUNCIL The City of New York Int. No. 215 February 28 . 1994 introduced by Council Members Michels. Eristoff. Rosado. Marshall. Freed. Millard. Linares. Malave-Dilan. Fields. DiBrienza. Duane. Eldridge. Foster. Leffler. McCabe. McCaffrey and Povman: also Council Members Cruz. Eisland. Henry. Pinkett. Rivera. Robles. White and Koslowitz. Read and referred to the Committee on Housing and Buildings. A LOCAL LAW To amend the administrative code of the City of New York, in relation to continuing the stabilization of rents in certain housing accommodations. Be it enacted by the Council as follows: Section 1. Section 26?502 of the administrative code of the city of New York. as last amended by local law 20 for the year l99l. is amended to read as follows: 926-502 Additional findings and declaration of emergency. The council hereby finds that a serious public emergency continues to exist in the housing of a considerable number of persons within the City of New York and will continue to exist after April ?rst. [nineteen hundred ninety-one] nineteen hundred ninety-four and hereby reaf?rms and repromulgates the ?ndings and declaration set forth in section 26-501 of this title. Section 26-520 of the administrative code of the city of New York. as last amended by local law 20 for the year l99l. is amended to read as follows: ?26?520 Expiration date. This chapter shall expire on April ?rst. [nineteen hundred ninety-four] nineteen hundred ninety-seven unless rent control shall sooner terminate as provided in subdivision three of section one of the local emergency housing rent control law. is. This local law shall take effect immediately. Note: Matter in italics is new; matter in brackets to be omitted. l??l?Ih-?l?lh?D? Valium-*0 THE COUNCIL The City of New York Int. No. 215 February 28 . 1994 introduced by Council Members Michels. Eristoff. Rosado. Marshall. Freed. Millard. Linares. Malave-Dilan. Fields. DiBrienza. Duane. Eldridge. Foster. Leffler. McCabe. McCaffrey and Povman: also Council Members Cruz. Eisland. Henry. Pinkett. Rivera. Robles. White and Koslowitz. Read and referred to the Committee on Housing and Buildings. A LOCAL LAW To amend the administrative code of the City of New York, in relation to continuing the stabilization of rents in certain housing accommodations. Be it enacted by the Council as follows: Section l. Section 26-502 of the administrative code of the city of New York. as last amended by local law 20 for the year 1991. is amended to read as follows: ?26~502 Additional ?ndings and declaration of emergency. The council hereby ?nds that a serious public emergency continues to exist in the housing of a considerable number of persons within the City of New York and will continue to exist after April ?rst. [nineteen hundred ninety-one] nineteen hundred ninety-four and hereby reaf?rms and repromulgates the ?ndings and declaration set forth in section 26-501 of this title. {22. Section 26-520 of the administrative code of the city of New York. as last amended by local law 20 for the year 1991. is amended to read as follows: ?26?520 Expiration date. This chapter shall expire on April ?rst. [nineteen hundred ninety-four] nineteen hundred ninety-seven unless rent control shall sooner terminate as provided in subdivision three of section one of the local emergency housing rent control law. This local law shall take effect immediately. Note: Matter in italics is new; matter in brackets to be omitted. \Omslc?lJI-hU-IN THE COUNCIL The City of New York Int. No. 215 February 28 1994 Introduced by Council Members Michels. Eristoff. Rosado. Marshall, Freed. Millard. Linares. Malave-Dilan. Fields. DiBrienza. Duane. Eldridge. Foster. Lefi'ler. McCabe. McCaffrey and Povman: also Council Members Cruz. Eisland. Henry. Pinkett. Rivera. Robles. White and Koslowitz. Read and referred to the Committee on Housing and Buildings. A LOCAL LAW To amend the administrative code of the City of New York. in relation to continuing the stabilization of rents in certain housing accommodations. Be it enacted by the Council as follows: Section l. Section 26-502 of the administrative code of the city of New York. as last amended by local law '20 for the year 199 l. is amended to read as follows: ?26-502 Additional ?ndings and declaration of emergency. The council hereby finds that a serious public emergency continues to exist in the housing of a considerable number of persons within the City of New York and will continue to exist after April ?rst. [nineteen hundred ninety-one] nineteen hundred ninety-four and hereby reaf?rms and repromulgates the findings and declaration set forth in section 26601 of this title. Section 26-520 of the administrative code of the city of New York. as last amended by local law 20 for the year l99l. is amended to read as follows: ?26-520 Expiration date. This chapter shall expire on April ?rst. [nineteen hundred ninety-four] nineteen hundred ninety-seven unless rent control shall sooner temtinate as provided in subdivision three of section one of the local emergency housing rent control law. This local law shall take effect immediately. Note: Matter in italics is new; matter in brackets to be omitted. The Counctt of the city of New York on Housing and Buildings Date: 74/9 lnt- Ree. M- SubjectCouncil Member Present Yes No Abeteln Yes No Abetaln Michele Williams 4 Meleve-Dlten Uneree Pagan Marshall Rondo Ogntbene Total Present Attending: 2 ft?; 5% a 140? 1 Time at Opening: a; HAM Time 0! Adjournment: Speakers: THE COUNCIL or TIIE Cm or New YORK FINANCE DrvISIon THOMAS MCMAHON, FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT INTRO. No: 215 Housing and Buildings A Local Law to Amend the SPONSOR: Council Members Michels and Administrative Code of the City of EfiSlOff New York in Relation to Continuing the Stabilization of Rents in Certain Housing Accommodations TITLE: SUMMARY or LEGISLATION: The proposed legislation would amend sections 26-520 of the administrative code of the City of New York to extend the existing Rent Stabilization Law from April 1, 1994 to April 1, 1997. EFFECTIVE DATE: This local law shall take effect immediately upon adoption. FISCAL YEAR IN WHICH FULL FISCAL IMPACT ANTICIPATED: FISCAL STATEMENT: FY Succeeding Full Fiscal Effective FY95 Effective FY96 Impact FY97 Revenues See Below See Below See Below Expenditures (-) See Below See Below See Below Net 0 0 ON REVENUES: The Council Finance estimates $0 impact as this legislation extends current law. If not passed and wholesale deregulation occurred. the city would see some increase in property tax revenue. However, estimating the gain in property tax assessments and hence revenues is extremely difficult. A 1991 report by the Citizen?s Budget Commission which examined various options for reform of rent regulation estimated that the city would gain 380-3100 million in property taxes using a combination of income-targeted and decontrol once assessments were fully increased to re?ect higher values. Therefore, based on CBC's estimate for limited decontrol. the impact could be even greater if full deregulation occured. IMPACT ON EXPENDITURES: There will be no direct impact on expenditures as mechanisms for making assessments are already in place. However, there may be a number of impacts on expenditures if rents were decontrolled. Deregulation of stabilized units may cause the City to experience higher social service costs including welfare allowance subsidies, medicaid, housing, eviction costs and homelessness. In addition, higher rents could induce renters to look outside the City for housing accommodations. The?e effects are difficult to quantify and cannot be budgeted for, therefore they are not reflected in the fiscal impact statement. SOURCE OF FUNDS To Coven EsrtMA'reo Cosrs: SOURCE OF INFORMATION: City Council Finance Division Housing Vacancy Survey 1991 ESTIMATE PREPARED BY: Lonice Eversley, Financial Analyst Susan Lacene, Financial Analyst Elisa Schein. Assistant Director Kurt Richwerger, Deputy Director City Council Finance Division DATE Suemmen 'rO COUNCIL: February 28. 1994 F18 HISTORY: To be reconsidered by Committee on March 21, 1994. Considered by Committee on March 10, 1994. Staff: Anthony Baronci Counsel to the Committee I REPORT OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE DIVISION NICHOLAS LAPORTE, DIRECTOR COMMITTEE ON HOUEING AND BUILDINGS March 21, 1994 INT. NO. 215: By: Council Members Michele, Eristoff, Rosado, Marshall, Freed, Millard, Linares, Malave-Dilan, Fields, DiBrienza, Duane, Eldridge, Foster, Leffler, McCabe, McCaffrey and Povman (In conjunction ?with the Mayor); also Council Members Clarke, Cruz, Eisland, Henry, Pinkett, Rivera, Robles, White, Koslowitz and Weiner. TITLE: In relation to continuing the stabilization of rents in certain housing accommodations. ADMINISTRATIVE CODE: Amends sections 26-502 and 26-520. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: In 1969, the Council passed Local Law No. 16 which enacted the Rent Stabilization Law regulating multiple dwellings containing six or more units built after February 1, 1947. That local law was to expire on April 1, 1974. In 1971, the State Legislature enacted Chapter 371 of the Laws of 1971 (the "Vacancy Decontrol Law") which removed from the of the City Rent and Rehabilitation Law (Rent Control) and the Rent Stabilization Law dwelling units that became vacant. These units were thereafter not subject to any rent regulation. In 1974, the Council passed Local Law No. 1 which extended the Rent Stabilization Law to April 1, 1979. This law applied to those rent stabilized dwelling units not vacated during the 1971-1974 period. Thereafter, the State Legislature passed Chapter 576 of the Laws of 1974 (the "Emergency Tenant Protection Act") which gave Rent Stabilization Law protection to those units that had become vacant during the 1971-1974 "decontrol" period. The Council has extended the Rent Stabilization Law in 1982 (Local Law No. 18), 1985 (Local Law No. 24), 1988 (Local Law No. 18), and 1991 (Local Law No. 20). INTENT: Int. No. 215 extends the Rent Stabilization Law of 1969 from April 1, 1994 to April 1, 1997 without change. In order to extend the Rent Stabilization Law of 1969, the Council must determine whether a: housing emergency exists tn: the basis of the supply of housing accommodations, condition of such accommodations and the need for regulating and controlling residential rents. declaration of emergency may be made as to any class of housing accommodations if the vacancy rate for the housing accommodations in such class is not in excess of five percent and a: declaration of emergency may be made as to all housing accommodations if the vacancy rate for the housing accommodations is not in excess of five percent." (Section 3 of Chapter 576 of the Laws of 1974). Based on data from the 1993 New York City Housing and Vacancy Survey which examined the period from late February through late May 1993, the Bureau of the Census has determined that the citywide rental vacancy rate in New York City is 3.44% with a standard error of 0.19%. This legislation would take effect immediately, Update On March 10, 1994 the Committee examined Int. No. 215, at which time the public submitted oral as well as written testimony. Upon conclusion of the March 10th hearing Int. No. 215 was laid over. AB 3/17/94 11:28 a.m. Int. No. 215 Int. No. 215 By Council Members Michele, Eristoff, Rosado, Marshall, Freed, Millard, Linares, Malays-Dilan, Fields, DiBrienza, Duane, Eldridge, Foster, Leffler, McCabe, McCaffrey and Povman (In conjunction with the Mayor); also Council Members Clarke, Cruz, Eisland, Henry, Pinkett, RiVera, Robles, White, Koslowitz and Weiner A LOCAL LAW To amend the administrative code of the City of New York, in relation to continuing the stabilization of rents in certain housing accommodations. ?e it enacted by the Council as follows: Section 1. Section 26-502 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as last amended by local law 20 for the year 1991, is amended to read as follows: ?26~502 Additional findings and declaration of emergency. The council hereby finds that a serious public emergency continues to exist in the housing of a considerable number of persons within the City of New York and will continue to exist after April first, [nineteen hundred ninety-one] nineteen hundred ninety-four and hereby reaffirms and repromulgates the findings and declaration set forth in section 26-501 of this title. 52. Section 26-520 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as last amended by local law 20 for the year 1991, is amended to read as follows: 526-520 Expiration date. This chapter shall expire on April first, [nineteen hundred ninety-four] nineteen hundred ninety-seggn unless rent control shall sooner terminate as provided le subdivision three of section one of the local emergency housing rent control law. 53. This local law shall take effect immediately. Housing Bldga. AB/js 2/23/94 am: 3 The Council of the any of New York Committee on Homing end 73? I - .. m, @0913} Overelgm Subleen pas HG cannot! Member Yee No Abeteln Yee No ?min q. 8plgner mam. Meleve-Dllen Uneree I Pegen Menhe? i/ Rondo Ognlbene Tote! Other Council Membere Attending: Time of Opening: ErxsTo{{?' leke, I Time ofAdloummem: Cr '5 c? Speekere: H. It C. (.12 I Ci: umcm WITNESSES FOR 10. BUILDINGS HEARING Queens Borough President's Office Ruth Messinger, Manhattan Borough President Frank Jennuccio, Bronx Borough President's Office Jack Chartier, Deputy Comptroller For Intergovernmental Community Affairs Tim Collins, Rent Guidelines Board Jack Freund/Frank Ricci, Rent Stabilization Assoc. Helen Daniels, Black Latino Property Owners Coalition Malta Graves, Borough President's Office Marolyn Davenport, REBNY Senator Franz Leichter Hilda E. Chavis, Northwest Bronx Commd Clergy Coalition L. Donelle Gladwin, Pete Grannis) William Moses, William Moses Company Michael McKee, NYS Tenant Neighborhhood COalition Howard Mittelmark, Steve Sanders) Dan Marguilies (CHIP) Roberta Bernstein Ed Kozman (SDONY) Mariana Property owner Kenneth Schaeffer, (Office of Ed Sullivan) Lee S. Sterlin, American Property Rights Assoc. Charlton Rhee, Nettie Mayersohn) Jonathan Gerstan, 44 East Street Realty Corp. Karen Stamm (Attorney E. Side SRO Project) Natale Stropozi Sophie Kashpan, Joint Public Affairs Committee Richard P. Martin Kenneth Rosenfeld, Northern Manhattan Improv. Corp. Andrew Hoffman, Clarendon Mgt. Judith Goldener, Legal Aid Society, Manhattan Adriene Holder, Legal Aid Society, Harlem Carol Syzuki, Legal Aid Society, Staten Island Marcy Boucher, Small landlord Kolu Ziqbi, Assoc. of Neighborhood Housing Development Jenny Laurie, Met Council on Housing William Rowen, Met Council John Stanley, Tenants Union Joann M. Polise, Stuyvesant Town, Peter Cooper Village Dawn Sullivan, East Side Tenants Coalition Alison Covoh Eleanor Forman, Chelsea Housing Coalition Tenant Hallie Goodman, Tenants of NYC Elaine Schechter, Pres. Perry St. Block Assoc. Sandra L. Devita, Campus Hall Assoc. of Tenants Inc. Mierey Gensler, Skyview Tenants Assoc. Harry Woller, Stratford Arms Tenants Joshva Wolinsky, CCNY Tenants Union Alexandra Stacy, Tenant Linda Ente Slyvia Gould Rafael Bueno, Housing Solidarity Network CLAIRE SHULMAN .. . ., (718)205-3000 10017101206465; 1'1" FAX (718) 286-2885 CITY OF NEW YORK emcee: THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOROUGH OF QUEENS 120.55 QUEENS BOULEVARD KEW GAPJENS. NEW vo1=11< 11424 BOROUGH PRESIDENT CLAIRE SHULMAN CITY COUNCIL HOUSING AND BUILDINGS COMMITTEE HEARING STATEMENT REGARDING RENT REGULATIONS THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 1994 NOON THOUSANDS OF QUEENS RESIDENTS ALREADY SPEND A DIS- PROPORTIATE SHARE OF THEIR INCOME ON RENT. MANY MAKE HARD CHOICES ABOUT WHETHER TO SPEND MONEY BUYING FOOD AND RISK EVICTION FOR NON-PAYMENT. CONSEQUENTLY, I HAVE GRAVE CONCERN ABOUT PROPOSALS WHICH WOULD WEAKEN THE RENT REGULATORY SYSTEM. LET ME STATE THIS UNEQUIVOCALLY. VACANCY DECONTROL WOULD BE AN UNMITIGATED DISASTER THAT WOULD SUBJECT VULNERABLE SENIOR CITIZENS AND OTHERS TO HARASSMENT BY UNSCRUPULOUS BUILDING OWNERS. LIKEWISE, A PROPOSAL TO PROVIDE A VACANCY RENTAL INCREASE OF 25% WOULD ALSO INVITE HARASSMENT. AND THOUSANDS OF APARTMENTS WOULD NO LONGER BE AFFORDABLE TO THE WORKING FAMILIES OF OUR CITY, EACH OF WHOM IS STRUGGLING TO MAINTAIN A DECENT LIFE FOR THEIR CHILDREN. IN FAIRNESS, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DECENT SMALL BUILD. ING OWNERS -MOM AND POP OPERATIONS- WHO ARE BESIEGED BY TWIN HAMMERS OF ESCALATING WATER COSTS AND REAL ESTATE TAXES. WE SHOULD CAREFULLY REVIEW CITY POLICY TO ENSURE THAT THESE BUILDINGS ARE NOT FORCED INTO OUR IN- REM INVENTORY WHICH WOULD BE ESPECIALLY HARD ON BOTH THE OWNERS AND TENANTS OF THESE BUILDINGS. IN THIS MANNER, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO ASSIST SMALL BUILDING OWNERS WITHOUT FURTHER INCREASING THE RENTS OF TENANTS WHO HAVE ALREADY SEEN THEIR RENTS OUTPACE THEIR ABILITY TO PAY. TESTIMONY ON THE CONTINUATION OF RENT REGULATIONS TO THE CITY COUNCIL HOUSING AND BUILDING COMMITTEE FROM ALAN G. HEVESI NEW YORK CITY COMPTROLLER PRESENTED BY DEPUTY COMPTROLLER JACK CHARTIER MARCH 10, 1994 Comptroller's Testimony on Rent 1 I am testifying today on behalf of City Comptroller Alan Hevesi. My name is Jack Chartier and I am Deputy Comptroller for Intergovernmental and Community Relations. On behalf of the Comptroller, I would like to thank Chairman Archie Spigner and the other members of the Housing and Building Committee of the City Council for giving us the opportunity to testify today. To come to the right decision about rent regulations, it is important to put the issue in the broader context of what is happening in the City's economy. The Comptroller is mandated by the City Charter to analyze the City's economy, and so our analysis of rent regulations begins from that perspective. As you know, New York has lost almost 400,000 jobs over the last four years. Most of those jobs were low-skilled and entry- level jobs. The result has been the growth of two economies within the City one, for those with skills, offering good pay and opportunity; the other, for those with fewer skills, offering less and less opportunity. This trend is dangerous for the long?term health of the City. We cannot afford to be a City made up only of the very rich and the very poor. We must preserve a place for working people. Above all else, that means two things -- jobs and affordable housing. The Comptroller has talked about the importance of stimulating jobs in other forums. The issue for today is affordable housing. And affordable housing is a vital issue for all New Yorkers, because without affordable housing, many New Yorkers poor and middle class may be forced to leave the City. And if we start to lose our people, we lose our vitality and our future. Data from the latest Housing and Vacancy Survey prepared by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development show that the average income for people in rent stabilized apartments fell 11.4 percent from 1990 to 1992, after adjusting for inflation. Rents were stable, after adjusting for inflation. That means that people were forced to spend more of their money for housing and had less left for other expenses. According to the Vacancy Survey, the average amount of income going to rent increased from 28.4 percent to 30.7 percent. New York is trying to attract more businesses and help those already here grow by cutting business taxes. That is important because New York is seen as a high cost place to do business. It is also a high cost place to live. And that makes it difficult to attract and hold the workers that business needs. That is why the Comptroller believes that affordable housing must be one of the City's top priorities and why he urges the Council to maintain the City's rent regulations as they now exist. In his inaugural address, the Comptroller stressed the importance of protecting the weakest among us. Let's look at who benefits from rent regulations. One-quarter of those in controlled and stabilized apartments are senior citizens. Another 15 percent receive public assistance. That covers 40 percent of those protected by rent regulations. Many of the rest are middle class Comptroller's Testimony on Rent or working poor, people who go to work every day, but who have a tough time making ends meet. They simply cannot afford to pay higher rents, or to have their lives disrupted when a landlord thinks he can get more money from another tenant. . The 1991 Vacancy Study showed that rent regulations provide stability for tenants. Over half of the tenants in rent stabilized apartments had been in their apartments for eight years or more. On the other hand, almost half of the tenants in unregulated apartments had been in their apartment for three years or less. The stability fostered by rent regulation is good for the City. When people spend a longer time in their apartments, they have the opportunity to become more committed to their neighborhoods and get more involved in the community. When people are forced to move frequently, their involvement and commitment suffers. Of course, rent regulation is not the complete solution for providing affordable housing. The City needs more programs like those created by the City pension funds, which have invested half a billion dollars to create and maintain affordable housing in the City. And the Comptroller is committed to expanding those programs. Rent regulations are a good policy for New York City. They are vital to providing affordable housing to hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers. The Comptroller urges the Council to pass the two bills introduced by Councilman Stanley Michaels and other members of the Council that will maintain rent regulations. Thank you. TESTIMONY GIVEN BY S. HELEN DANIELS, CHAIRPERSON BLACK AND LATINO PROPERTY OWNERS COALITION TO THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK HOUSING COMMITTEE March 10, 1994 GOOD AFTERNOON, MY NAME IS HELEN DANIELS AND I AM HERE AS THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE BLACK AND LATINO PROPERTY OWNERS COALITION. THE COALITION WAS FORMED TO REPRESENT THE INTERESTS OF MINORITY PROPERTY OWNERS IN NEW YORK CITY. THE ORGANIZERS FELT THAT THEIR PARTICULAR INTERESTS WERE NOT BEING ADDRESSED BY STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS. THE GOAL OF THE COALITION IS TO PROVIDE ANOTHER VOICE, ESPECIALLY AT THE LEGISLATIVE LEVEL, FOR HOME AND PROPERTY OWNER RELIEF. BY INFORMING LEGISLATORS THAT THERE ARE ?unguij _2 2:203? 0mm_mm mmr_m_n OmeOCm >20 100m Om mm >mrm vaSUm 02.202: O20 2m>mr< muck OT. O_u mmZH>r HMO?um.?ij 2:202: O<20 00 mogm >20 <mm r>mOmr< 2:203: >mm Omamz m< IOCQZO 0020:..02m >20 >m UmOvmmi E20 mmocmazm _m RENT INCREASES. WE ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT RENT REGULATIONS WERE ENACTED TO HELP KEEP THESE RENT PRICES DOWN. HOWEVER, THE UNDERLYING PREMISE OF THESE CONTROLS WAS THAT THE PROPERTY OWNER WOULD BE PROTECTED. EVEN WITH REGULATION, AN OWNER WOULD STILL BE ALLOWED A RETURN ON OR AT LEAST THE ABILITY TO MAINTAIN THE PROPERTY AND UNFORTUNATELY, UNDER THE RENT CONTROL LAWS, THIS HAS NOT BEEN THE CASE.. RENT CONTROL HAS NOT BENEFITED THE TENANT OR THE SMALL BUILDING THE REASON FOR THIS IS: HOUSING CODES, PRO- TENANT ABATEMENT REMEDIES AND FORTY YEARS OF AND NON- COMPETITIVE RENT REGULATIONS HAVE COMBINED TO MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE SMALL OWNER TO MAINTAIN AND OPERATE RENTAL PROPERTY. IN FAR TOO MANY CASES, THIS SITUATION HAS FORCED OWNERS TO ABANDON THEIR PROPERTIES OR CAUSE THE PROPERTIES TO GO IN-REM. I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH THE COMMITTEE A STORY THAT COMES TO MIND. IT IS A STORY OF AN OWNER OF A BROWNSTONE 3 IN HARLEM. THE OWNER HAD THREE TENANTS. EACH PAID BETWEEN $10 AND $12 WEEKLY, WHICH ADDED UP TO $128 IN TOTAL. RENTAL INCOME. THE OWNER RAISED THE RENT TO $25 WEEKLY FOR EACH TENANT. THE TENANTS TOOK THE OWNER TO COURT AND THE WON. THE RENTS WERE REDUCED TO THE ORIGINAL AMOUNTS BY THE COURT. MOREOVER, THE OWNER WAS REQUIRED TO PAY ALL COURT COSTS, FINES AND TENANT OVERCHARGES. AS A RESULT, THE OWNER COULD NOT PAY TAXES, MAINTENANCE COSTS AND OTHER EXPENSES. THE OWNER LOST THE PROPERTY. THE CITY OF NEW YORK BECAME THE LANDLORD AND RAISED THE RENTS TO $250 PER TENANT AND UNIT. WHEN THE OWNER RECLAIMED THE BUILDING THE RENTS WERE AGAIN REDUCED TO THE ORIGINAL AMOUNTS. IF THE CITY NEEDED THAT MUCH TO CARRY THE BUILDING, THEN WHY THE THE CITY WAS EXEMPT FROM ALL HOUSING REGULATIONS AND THE OWNER WAS NOT. THE HEARINGS YOU ARE CONDUCTING SERVE TO REVIEW THE FUTURE OF RENT CONTROL. THE COALITION WOULD LIKE TO RECOMMEND VACANCY DECONTROL FOR 4 .umomumm?mm Om. no Om O<mm Oz_u< OZ mm 00mm FEE OOm_o zmmUm meUmU 10:220. .2 w< IOCQZO. >20 mm mock. IOCQZQ. ALBANY 1672 First Avenue ALEXANDER PETE (212) 860-4906 65m Assembly District New Yom County Room 712 CHAIRMAN New York. New York 10128 Legusmm Office Budding on Insurance (518) 455-5673 BTATBHENT OP PETE GRANNIB IN BUPPORT OP INTRO 215 AND RESOLUTION 14? COMMITTEE ON HOUSING AHD BUILDINGS NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL MARCH 10, 1994 I appear before you today to urge you and the full City Council to adopt Resolution #144 and pass Intro. #215, and by so doing continue rent protections desperately needed by NYC tenants on the basis of the continuing existence of a housing emergency. Rent regulations are vital for the lives and well being of tenants living in rental apartments in the city. They depend on these laws to shield them from unfair evictions, illegal practices and excessive rent increases. These regulations, whose fate now rests in your hands, enable rental residents of this city to live in affordable apartments, raise a family, and contribute to their community and the city as a whole without the threat of being uprooted every lease renewal. For thousands upon thousands of seniors, rent regulations allow them to live out their lives in their homes, living independently, contributing to their neighborhoods. Rent regulations, however, do not only benefit individuals but communities as well. By preserving affordable housing, rent protections are probably the most effective tool in the city's arsenal for maintaining economic diversity in our neighborhoods. Regulations provide a buffer for established long-standing neighborhoods against the forces of gentrification and dislocating development. As the Council, and most importantly tenants, well know, when the issue of rent extenders came before the state Legislature last year, the Senate Republican majority, at the urging of the real estate industry, repeatedly pushed negotiations dangerously close to the expiration date with total disregard for the emotional impact on the lives and health of city residents. As word of the risk caused by the Senate?s callous efforts to disrupt the continuation of rent protections spread during the months the issue was before the Legislature, tenants became increasingly apprehensive about the fate of their homes. Far more than usual, in these troubled economic times, the real estate industry's highly aggressivs campaign against rent protections took a tremendous toll on renters, especially seniors and Pnnled 0n recycled paper Albany. New York 12248 lower-income families. By approving the measures before you today, without weakening amendments, you will not only help to reassure tenants across the city, but will send a clear signal that this body, unlike the Republicans in the state Senate, understands that tenants are the backbone of the city?s future. Hoffman President Michel Kerr Chou-man Honey Brooke-Naming DIM R. Bomo Haber Bruca Kafonboum Rum Pius Vice Presidents Ln Tnuunr Gertrude Sehnmder Recording Secretary Don Margot.? Encuthn Director Richard Albert Lam Bart-inns! Dar-mt Blondie: Paul Granular Herbert Domcr Winifred Dozier Elli! Barry Rlody Glieti Stratum Kau? Robert A Knokll George Grog Mlloot Jeffrey Monochcnan A Mons? Gerald Robert Rosenberg Alan Barry Rudollky Rudd' Brim Wittenborg Soyrrmur luck-man ?Vteo Chairmen ?Chairman Emeritus Robert. Bernstein Irving Cohen Boqamm Duhl Douglas Durst Robert Gannon Robert Gonna-n Claudia Just Leo letc Georg. Matoot Morton Oiahm Aaron Pout Howard Rich Jamu Rubin Leroy Rubin Santerct Arnold Aaron Zieqelman HOUSING IMPROVF ME. NI PM Wt. 145 weer 53m sneer, NE YORK. N.Y. 1001a (71: 757-397 FAX (212 757-37 Testimony of Dan Margulies Executive Director. Community Housing improvement Program. Inc. before the New York City Council Committee on Housing and Buildings March IO. 1994 it was very dif?cult to decide what aspect of rent regulation to talk about in the limited time available today. Some ofthe choices included: 0 Lost property taxes, estimated at up to $100 million annually because of reduced property values. These estimates don't even count hundreds of millions in tax delinquencies that might be avoided. 0 Poor housing conditions in regulated housing compared with unregulated apartments at similar rents. 0 Reduced housing opportunities that discourage young people and economic growth, because the bene?ts that rent regulation gives to long term tenants discourage normal apartment turnover in desirable neighborhoods. 0 Bene?ts that seem perverser targeted to the stable. advantaged, white middle class in the Manhattan core. 0 Devastation in poor and minority neighborhoods. where small property owners expected homeownership to lift them up the economic ladder and, instead, had regulations knock them down. 0 The futility ot?a system ofprice controls that, in 1993. achieved average stabilized rents citywide of $593 per month as compared with average unregulated rents of $636 -- what a price for $43 a month! And. for want ofa better description, the "culture of tenant protection" that protects drug addicts and other undesirable tenants from eviction or nonrenewal of leases at the expense of good tenants who deserve to enjoy their homes in peace and quiet. But. these problems aren't new. So, then I thought would answer the supposed arguments for rent regulation. Some advocates say it helps the poor. Well. both the State Division of Housing and Community Renewal and the Rent Guidelines Board have reported that market pressures keep rents in poor neighborhoods below the legal regulated rents to which owners are entitled. Others advocates say regulations preserve the middle class, but in the vast rows of middle class housing in the outer boroughs. average regulated and unregulated rents are virtually indistinguishable. Unfortunately, arguing these issues is like arguing religion. No scientific facts will sway a true believer. For a while. I thought i should just spend my time embarrassing regulators with horror stories. The Governor just proposed spending $37 million next year on rent administration. Every other state spends nothing. What do we get for the money? In one decision last month a tenant had their rent reduced $30 a month and frozen because the temperature inside their refrigerator was 43 degrees. The DHCR didn't say what it should be. nor did the inspector adjust the thermostat to see if it made a difference. in another case. DHCR issued two orders on duplicate complaints -- one reducing the rent and one not -- based on two inspections the same day. have a member suffering a buildingwide rent reduction. losing more than $3.000 a month. because a DHCR inspector reported four dirty windows in a six story building. I represent building owners. and I'm very concerned that the owner/managers -- the hands-on guys who keep buildings going with their own sweat -- are a dying breed. They're being killed by regulations and taxes. institutional owners and professional managers can't be bothered with marginal housing and small buildings. Most people agree that the city already owns too much housing. Yet. I think we're approaching a time when even people who can still pay taxes would just as soon turn the property over. particularly small properties. Ultimately. I couldn't decide one problem was more important than another. The list is endless. I will be happy to discuss any of these issues at length or keep adding more. The message, however. is clear. Rent control is 5l years old this month. it is time to plan for retirement. The only way to get out of this mess is vacancy decontrol. Thank you. Average Stabilized Rent 1993 $593 Average Unregulated Rent 1993 $636* 'source: 1993 New York City Housing Vacancy Survey Cost of Rent Administration 1994-1995 $37,000,000? "source: New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal Number of Manhattan Residential Building Sales 1981 (Not Including COOP Conversions or Foreclosures) Number of Manhattan Residential Building Sales 1987 1,240 (Not Including COOP Conversions or Foreclosures) Number of Manhattan Residential Building Sales 1992 400 (Not Including COOP Conversions or Foreclosures) ??source: Reai Estate Board of New York; New York State Tenant and Neighborhood Coalition 505 Eighth Avenue, 24th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10018-6505 0 (212) 695-8922 AFFORDABILITY OF VACANT No. apts. vacant, available for rent No. vacant apts. reporting asking rent Median renter income No. vacant units affordable to median renter 30% of income Percent vacant units affordable to median renter Affordable rent to median renter 30% of income Median asking rent 1984 1987 1991 1993 39,594 29,838 $12,600 13,847 46.4% 47,486 42,990 $16,000 15,951 37.1% 76,727 67,004 $20,000 18,919 28.2 70,345 57,272 $01005 7,966 13.9% $315 $315 5450 Source: 1987, 1991 and 1993 NYC Housing and Vacancy Surveys, U. S. Bureau of the Census 319/ 94 $600 $475 $650 139 HENRY STREET ch 100021962-3069 Hes: ES TIEMPO CITY COUNCIL HOUSING AND BUILDINGS COMMITTEE HEARING TESTIMONY BY FLORENCE ENG, ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF Speaker Vallone, Chairman Spigner and Honorable Members of the City Council: I represent It's a CEO located on the Lower East Side. It's Time has served community residents for over 27 years. I am here to express my organization's support for the continuation of strong Rent Control and Rent Stabilization Laws here in New York City. Some of It's Time's clients are here with me today to support the extension of rent guidelines. Others who could not )a_00 attend this hearing have signed petitions. I have signatures addressed to the City Council and to the Mayor. We continue to collect more. Our clients are your constituents. Some owners are claiming the rent laws are providing a subsidy, when in fact it's the opposite. Rent stabilization minimizes market failure so that renters do not fall into a need for subsidy. According to the 1990 Census, 29% of the population in our primary service area have incomes below Working since 1966 for senior citizens, youth and tenants in the Lower East Side and Chinatown. Anthony Johnson - Executive Director 125% of the poverty level. The rent laws are aimed at minimizing the effects of a housing shortage and as you know, there is a shortage in housing, reflected in the 3.44% vacancy rate in 1993. A study done for It's Time by the Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy at the New school For Social Research, found the vacancy rate in our primary service area to be 2.35% in 1990. (Please see attached Table A.) The laws serve to stabilize rental prices in a housing shortage, to keep housing financially within reach. According to the NYC Housing and Vacancy Survey 1991, the median income of renters has dropped compared to the income needed to pay median rents. (See attached Table B.) If not for the rent laws, this would create profiteering, excessively high rents and the withholding of services and repairs. Housing is dramatically overcrowded. (Please see attached Table C.) The population in our service area grew at twice the rate of NYC as a whole. The New School study found that the number of household with more than one person per room in the primary service area jumped from 18% in 1980 to 26% in 1990. Chinatown is even more crowded, with an overcrowding rate of 29% in 1990. This area is the most crowded on the Lower East Side. There is increased doubling and tripling up with friends, relatives and strangers. Local residents who are the working poor need stable and secure housing so that they may concentrate on other aspects of their liVes, such as their children and their work. With affordable housing, the working class stays in the community, attracts businesses to the community and neighborhoods thrive. CITY COUNCIL HOUSING AND BUILDINGS COMMITTEE TESTIMONY BY FLORENCE ENG, ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF Speaker Vallone, Chairman Spigner and Honorable Members of the City Council: I represent the Chinatown Tenants Coalition. 1 am here to express our support for the continuation of strong Rent Control and Rent Stabilization Laws in New York City. We are a coalition of 6 community based groups in Chinatown, It's the Lower East Side Local Enforcement Unit, CIVIC, the Chinese Progressive Association, Asian Americans For Equality, and the Chinese United Methodist Church. Representatives from each group are with me today. Many of your Chinese constituents are newly arrived immigrants and have low incomes. According to the 1990 Census, the Asian population has grown substantially in the last decade. Many arrive in New York for economic reasons. They work hard for a better chance for their children. The rent laws protect them from sudden huge increases and owners who withhold services and repairs. Safe and secure housing is essential for community residents to concentrate on caring for their children and their work. Please renew the rent laws without weakening amendments. . . .I. l1r la! Chinatown T.A.: Third Area P.A.: Primary Area N. Secondary Area TAB LE A . ?ax. . o. . (NR 0&0. <1 .. . 000000000 n. (U vumunb. - on no.9 >0 Source: US. 1980 8. 1990 Census Vacancy Rate: N.S.A. It's Time?, (1980 1990) T.A. Wm 9.1-1 8 Median Asking Rent for Vacant Available Apts. Household Income Needed to Afford Median Vacant Apt. at 30% of income Median Renter Household Income Index of Renter Housing Affordability Source: Worids Apart: Housing Race/Ethnicity and Income Index of Renter Affordability New York City. 1978-1991 1978 $185 7.400 8.500 114.9% Current Dollars 1981 $240 9.600 10.500 109.4% HVS 1991. Series IA. Table 9 and Series Table 31 7984 1987 1991 $315 $450 $800 12.800 18.000 24.000 12.600 16.000 20.000 100.0% 88.9% 83.3% in New York City 19.784987. pg. 54.. and NYC TABLE Persons per Room with Greater than 1/room.A. N.S.A. T.PA: Primary Area NSA: N. Secondary Area Chinatown TA: Third Area Source: 1980 1990 US. Census Testimony of the Civil Division of The Legal Aid Society before the New York City Council March 10, 1994 This testimony is submitted by The Legal Aid Society's Civil Division and Archibald Murray, the Executive Director and Attorney- in-Chief of The Legal Aid Society. The Civil Division of The Legal Aid Society serves clients in the five boroughs of New York City, and our attorneys practice in all of New York City's Housing Courts. Last year, Civil Division staff represented some 33,000 indigent clients on a variety of civil legal matters, including a substantial number of housing cases. We have particular expertise in the representation of low-income families and senior citizens who live in Rent Stabilized and Rent Controlled housing. Today, we are here to speak in favor of Proposed Local Law No. 215 and Resolutions numbers 144 and 146 and in opposition to Proposed Local Law Nos. 207, 208, 217, 219, 220, 227 and 228. The proposed weakening of the Rent Stabilization Law would have a disastrous effect on low income families and would increase homelessness because it would result in increased rent levels. We urge the City Council to renew the Rent Stabilization Law without further weakening of its critical tenant protections. Our clients are desperately poor. They are individuals and families close to and in many cases well below, the federal poverty level. To be eligible for representation by the Society, a single individual's annual income in most cases cannot exceed $8,713, a family of four in most cases cannot have a combined income greater than $17,938. Some of our clients work at minimum wage jobs, but for others, their only source of income is public assistance. Since there are very few Rent Stabilized apartments available at rents within the welfare shelter guidelines or at levels that someone earning the minimum wage can afford, low income persons who are evicted are at great risk of becoming homeless. For example, the Department of Social Services provides only $312 per month for rent to a mother with three children on public assistance. It is nearly impossible for families to rent apartment at that rent level, or even at a level that could be paid if they used most of their food money for rent, as many of our clients do. Elderly people on fixed incomes are similarly caught in a bind between escalating rent increases and paying for food, gas, and electricity. Many go hungry so that they can pay the rent and insure themselves a place to live. Most of the clients served by the Civil Division are one step away from becoming homeless due to rent increases. They are forced to make cruel choices between eating and paying their rent. If they become homeless, they have difficulty escaping the shelter system because the rents remain above their ability to pay. To house a family in emergency shelter because there is no affordable permanent housing available for them, the City typically spends public funds of approximately $3,000.00 per month. . Homeless families spend an average of six months in the emergency shelter system, which could easily cost the city $18,000.00 per family. More than 2,400 families languish in the City's shelter system for more than six months at a cost to the City of $36,000.00 annually per family. The quality of housing units affordable to low-income peOple is rapidly diminishing. For years, the City's rental market has hovered at a city-wide vacancy rate of four percent. At low rent levels, however, the vacancy rate was only two percent. Cooperative conversion and warehousing of 94,000 habitable apartments, as estimated by Prof. Michael Stegman in the 1991 City Housing and Vacancy Survey, have further reduced the supply of affordable rent stabilized apartments in New York City. The City 1991 Housing Vacancy Survey shows that low income Rent Stabilized tenants' disposable income decreased by seven to fifteen percent for the period 1987 to 1991. During the same period, the number of tenants who were severely overcrowded and who were doubled up also increased. Rents during the 19803 in rent stabilized apartments rose by 85% -- substantially more than the rate of inflation. Proposed Resolution No. 146 urges the State Legislature to enact a program modeled after the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption which would shield low income households from rent increases. Such a program would help poor tenants who are currently in affordable apartments to continue to be able to afford their apartments despite annual increases and major capital improvement increases. Currently, poor families and individuals are being forced out of their apartments as they become less and less affordable on a limited income. As detailed below, each of the proposed local laws would result in a drastic weakening of the Rent Stabilization Laws. There has been no change in the emergency circumstances which resulted in the enactment of the tenant protection laws in the first place. In New York City, there is still an extremely low vacancy rate and an even lower vacancy rate for apartments at affordable levels. Even with the current protections, our clients cannot find affordable apartments. With deregulation, our clients would be less and less likely to obtain affordable housing. The City simply cannot afford the increase in homelessness that deregulation would cause. Already the City is spending five hundred million dollars per year in homeless services for families and individuals. That amount would skyrocket with deregulation. Proposed Local Law N9. 201 Proposed Local Law No. 207 would exempt all apartments which become vacant after the effective date of the proposed local law from the protection of the Rent Stabilization Law. Without the protection of the Rent Stabilization Laws, rents would be raised to a level poor people could simply not afford. Already rents have increased to a level that most poor families and elderly people can barely afford. With decontrol, there will be no limit on the amount of rent a landlord can charge. With the recent turn around in the real estate market there is simply no justification to allow landlords to simply charge any amount of rent that they choose. In addition, without Rent Stabilization protection, a landlord can evict a tenant for any reason. A landlord would no longer have to show "cause", i.e. a good reason, to evict a tenant. He could evict a tenant for any reason or no reason. Additionally, the Rent Stabilization Code forbids a landlord from reducing required services. Vacancy decontrol would mean that a landlord could fail to maintain required services, raise rents to unacceptably high levels and evict tenants for no reason. The experience of Civil Division attorneys in Brooklyn Housing Court is that the protections of the Rent Stabilization Law often prevent poor people from being homeless. In addition, because they are protected by the Rent Stabilization Law, we can obtain needed and necessary repairs. In unregulated apartments, we often cannot secure repairs, because our clients are too frightened of eviction to pursue their defenses since they believe that the landlord will punish them if they pursue repairs. Vacancy decontrol will force more families and elderly people onto the streets and into the shelters. Moreover, the few remaining rent stabilized tenants would be unable to move from their apartments -- no matter how bad the conditions in their apartments became or how bad the neighborhood became -- because they would never be able to afford another apartment. Local Law Nos. 208 and Proposed Local Law 208 suffers from the same flaw as Proposed Local Law 207. The provision allowing vacancy decontrol only for buildings under 20 units does not ameliorate the catastrophic effect of vacancy decontrol on low income tenants. Since many low income people live in buildings of twenty units or fewer, vacancy decontrol in these buildings will further increase homelessness and its related costs. Similarly, Proposed Local Law No. 217 would exclude from the Rent Stabilization Law, vacancies in apartments renting for more than $900.00 per month. In our experience in Brooklyn, for example, many of our clients live in apartments renting for more than $900.00 per month. They can only afford such rents by taking in roommates or sharing with other family members. According to City statistics, there are 134,000 units which rent for over $900.00 per month. Losing that many apartments would radically reduce the housing opportunities renters have. In the experience of our Harlem Office, it is not unusual to find poor tenants paying rents that may be considered luxury rents. Through guidelines increases, vacancy and MCI increases, landlords have managed to restructure rents for vacant apartments in Harlem to double or triple their prior levels. Initially, landlords may have intended to rent these high rent apartments to higher income tenants. However they are often unable to attract higher income tenants. Thus, instead of renting the apartments to higher income tenants, the apartments are often rented to extended families or doubled up households. Frequently several generations live together in a rent stabilized apartment because that is the only way they can afford the rent. In such extended families, it is not unusual to find several persons working at low wage jobs to keep an apartment renting at $900.00 or above. These families pool their income together to pay the rent. Throughout the City, we represent formerly middle class tenants who have lost their jobs during the recession who take in roommates in order to continue remaining in their neighborhoods whose rents are at high levels. Clearly, higher rents do not necessarily represent luxury rents and decontrol of these units would harm low income tenants. Lastly, allowing vacancy decontrol for rents of $900.00 or more, leaves a landlord with a huge loophole. with every vacancy, a landlord can merely put in sufficient "1/40" individual apartment improvements to raise the rent to $900.00 and then declare it decontrolled. Under Proposed Local Law No. 217, every apartment which becomes vacant, no matter how formerly affordable would then become decontrolled. as o. 8 Proposed Local Law Nos. 227 and 228 would increase the vacancy allowance when rent stabilized apartments become vacant to 25% over the former rent. This would have the effect of making apartments less and less affordable. Such a policy increases the numbers of low income people who simply cannot afford their apartments and are forced into the homeless system at great cost to the City. Moreover, there is no justification for such an increase. As Egg; ?tgbiligeg ?ousing in New 2935 City: a gummagy 9: Ben; guidelines Board gesegrgh l293 makes clear, the Rent Stabilization Guidelines hoard increases more than guarantee landlords a reasonable rate of return and have exceeded inflation every year. The "1/40" individual apartment improvements give a landlord an opportunity to raise the rent during the vacancy if improvements are made to an apartment. Our experience in representing low income tenants in Brooklyn is that almost every vacancy results in a substantial increase due to alleged "1/40" increases, so that the increases almost always result in a more than 25% increase over the former rent. Indeed, the City Housing Vacancy Survey shows that rents for vacant apartments on average increased by 42% from 1987 to 1991. Thus, a 25% vacancy increase would give landlords an unjustified windfall and cause more poor tenants to be pushed onto the street. In addition, should the City wish to aid small landlords, the City could do so by offering tax abatements and low income loans to maintain the premises. To raise vacancy rents by 25% will merely serve to make it more and more difficult for low income tenants to find affordable housing. Moreover, the Rent Stabilization Law already has a procedure to raise rents if a landlord can show a rent hardship. Small (or large) landlords can avail themselves of the already existing procedure. The proposal will also increase landlord harassment of tenants because the gain to landlords of forcing tenants out is so great. In our experience, landlord harassment is greater in small buildings. Lastly the proposal is not tailored to help only small landlords. Many large landlords and management companies own buildings with twenty units or fewer. For these reasons, we strongly oppose the proposed changes to the Rent Stabilization Law and urge the Council to approve proposed local law 215 and extend the protection of Rent stabilization without devastating deregulation. Enacting any of the proposed changes in the Rent Stabilization Law will result in an devastating increase in homelessness and a corresponding increase in City expenditures for emergency shelter. Submitted By: Judith Goldiner Staff Attorney The Legal Aid Society Civil Division The Civil Appeals and Law Reform Unit 11 Park Place, 18th Floor New York, New York 10007 (212) 406-0745 Jenny Laurie Het Council on Housing [02 tulton Street, Room 302 New York, 10015 212/693-0553 March 10, 1994 Testimony on the Renewal of the Rent Lows before the City Council Housing 8 Buildings Committee Met Council supports the passage of Intro. 215 and Res. 14a which would renew the rent stabilization law and continue rent control without any weakening amendments. Met Council opposes' all of the other hills which have been submitted to this committee for consideration. The other seven bills on the list would enact some form of deregulation. Tenants have had enough of deregulation, with the luxury decontrol and gutting of the registration system that last summer's state legislative changes brought. The rent regulations are vital to the 2.5 million people who live in regulated apartments in this city. The rent laws protect tenants from unforseen, precipitous rent hikes; they guarantee tenure or lease renewals; allow evictions only for good cause; and allow tenants recourse where landlords are not providing services or repairs. The laws provide an even playing field for tenants in a housing market that has extreme shortages. The system is not a subsidy, like Section 8, but simply limits the amount of profit the owners are allowed to collect. The recently released Housing and Vacancy Survey report to the City Council shows that the rent laws could be stronger. not weaker as all your proposals would have. "Renter households with incomes below the poverty level increased from 26.8 percent in 1990 to 29.9 percent in 1992." Renter households over all suffered a decrease in income between surveys of 12.31 adjusted for inflation. And "the median gross rent-to-income ration (the percentage of total income spent for rent and utilities) rose from 28.h percent to 30.7 percent." I would like to address myself to Intro 227 and 228, bills which would affect many of Met Council?s members. I have heard the chairman of this committee express a concern for the small owners, who he feels are in imminent danger of losing their buildings in tax foreclosures. Focusing for a minute on the smaller buildings in low income neighborhoods, which is where these endangered buildings are, I would argue that the tenants in these buildings are as vulnerable as their owners; more in fact, because unlike the owners, they have no assets. Vacancy llowances promulgated by the Rent Guidelines Board, much lower than the proposed 251 in Intros 227 228, have done much damage to the affordable rental housing stock. The HVS report states that "The portion of low-rent units declined considerably between 1991 and 1993, even after adjusting for inflation. In Harch 1993 dollars, the proportion of units with gross rents less than $500 a month decreased from 26.2 percent to 2?.4 percent of occupied renter units." In addition, the figures for asking rents are dismal: the vacancy rate for apartments renting for $300 to $399 is 11; for apartments renting for $400 to $499, the vacancy rate is 1.681 (Table 5, 0.5. Bureau of the Census, 1993 New York City Housing and Vacancy Survey). Past HVS figures have shown that low income people move the most compared to higher income people, and so these units are the most affected by vacancy allowances. These allowances cause the tremendous skewing that we see in rents so that the same sized apartments in one building can have widely different rents. A 25% vacancy allowance in small buildings would aggravate the intense competition for vacant apartments and would encourage harassment. Current harassment laws and enforcement are a joke as any organizer will tell you. I recently worked with a tenants association in Harlem where the tenant leader in a building with hundreds of violations was sued for having a washing machine. This woman had had the washing machine since moving in; the super had helped her hook it up, and most other families in the building had washing machines with the landlord?s knowledge. The tenants had the landlord in court for not maintaining the building and the landlord figured this was one way to silence her. (Her rent, by the way, is in the mid-600s.) The 25% vacancy allowance would tighten an already too tight market, would encourage harassment, and would not help the small owners in neighborhoods where the people making enough money for high rents are selling drugs. There are a number of ways the Council could help small owners: equalize class 2 and 1 property tax assesments and lower rates for class 2 (perhaps with abatements for buildings serving low income people); lower or cap the water and sewer charges; force the Mayor to increase. rather than out, the budget for the low interest rehab loan programs administered by fold the rent control MBR system into the rent guidelines board system with rent stabilized units to lighten the bureaucratic load on small owners. All of these proposals would directly help the small owners and tenants in low income areas. In summary, Met Council urges the Committee to pass the straight extenders, Intro 215 and Res. 154, out to the full Council for its vote on March 16, 1994. The two and a half million rent regulated tenants in the city are depending on you. Fax DAMN- . DNAKCCL 4x; a. <3 troZmu m. a 2 93%? gm?emumv AW b. 5 Z?Zx?m? ?gvcd gm mp,an avgg?wmv 02,13.ng OhZW?/xo??. wwm??nyq?mw - . a. Ecmwv f} 0M3.va mi 4.8 . 5, ojzovm ?66m m3 E 0% Arm Xma EW. 020m Iosw?mm?mv?mrm n. mi. rye?? @szwm ?FUR nEm hm. th?xm?mgm .q ?8m 3 WK. gnaw 9n EJZNQ Beam mo??mu?? ?r?rm ww mw?zENL?mExj gm ?Im?mm?mmp? . Emu. :bcm 2+ 3 1mm? 36 .Pow?al rvsxuz. 3. >029 5 Zmomww?ix \O?nmummcm minor?? ?543? oz}vaqu .f/mwbik?x?gxm Zm ?ah ZEUS: Cajun 94,45. mahoXoei ?on 0.94 99mm. . gxe. Eg??m?m? 0954mm? 2L .vapi 5%va .. NiavF 52m 593 3 3m om along?? S??z?prQ/E?? ?ww?im gm 34mg AW Eu .thpiw?dvai?n? W7 @m ?875.. 15? 33% Sudkzi 2 Fr REV 59% vawrm 4x0 ?zm ?3.me ??unwa Nmmu 353Nqu paper b23539? ubi DZ EVE m. his. aux *E?cw 49> RENT STABILIZATION ASSOCIATION OF N.Y.C., INC. 1500 Broadway 0 New York, N.Y. 10036 Testimony of Jack Freund Executive Vice?President Rent Stabilization Association Hearings of the City Council Committee on Housing and Buildings March 10, 1994 The Committee on Housing and Buildings is today considering the extension of a set of and ineffective rent regulations laws. These laws have been responsible for destroying the housing stock and the housing opportunities of City residents for more than 50 years. I am therefore deeply grati?ed and, on behalf of the 25,000 members of the RSA who own and operate approximately one million units of rental housing, I want to thank the Committee for placing on today?s agenda the ?rst serious proposals for reform of the rent regulation laws in decades. Before addressing those reforms directly, I think it is important to understand the current crisis which makes these reforms necessary. The City now faces a potential wave of housing abandonment which could equal the devastation which occurred in the 1960?s and 70?s. According to City data, there are now 15,000 multi-family rental buildings, primarily small, walk-up buildings, in tax arrears. Two years of in rem actions are now pending which total approximately 28,000 tax delinquent properties. Various studies have estimated that between 50,000 and 140,000 apartments are in danger of abandonment. The abandomnent potential affects the same low-income, minority neighborhoods which have already been decimated by social and economic de?ciencies and threatens what remains of the quality of life in these neighborhoods. In addition, at a time of budgetary crisis, a new wave of housing abandonment will conservatively cost the City $650 million 'annually in lost taxes and increased expenditures - money which is desperately needed to fund essential city services such as police, ?re protection and education. The reform proposals before this committee directly address the economic crisis of the housing industry. Even the NYC Rent Guidelines Board, the economic guardian of the City?s housing, has acknowledged that one out of every eight rent stabilized r. buildings is in economically marginal condition. Every study which has looked at this issue has identi?ed the elemental problem: rental income is insuf?cient to meet Operating cost expenses in a significant portion of the City?s regulated buildings. In a city such as New York, the culture of rent regulation has developed like an in- grown toe nail and cannot be quickly and completely excised without pain. No one realistically proposes that this system of rent regulations be eliminated overnight, even though harsh medicine is sometimes the best remedy. To the contrary, the proposals before this committee, ranging ?om a statutory vacancy allowance of 25% to the decontrol of apartments across the board as they become vacant, all share two characteristics: they address the issue of inadequate rental income, and they hold harmless all existing tenants. We would urge this committee to adopt the most expansive of the proposals before you -- across the board vacancy decontrol. This proposal would provide economic relief to the housing industry, while protecting all in-place tenants and moving the City towards the free housing market. which has always been the statutory intent of the rent regulation laws. This measure also has the advantage of phasing out rent regulations over a long period of time, estimated to be as long as 24 years, which would mean that market disruptions would be minimal. The more limited proposal for vacancy decontrol of just those buildings containing 20 units or less has the advantage of targeting exactly those buildings which are in. greatest danger of abandonment. And the proposal for a 25% vacancy allowance, while not moving us closer to the goal of a free housing market, at least addresses the issue of providing increased rental. income to sustain our housing stock. There are a couple of issues which are commonly raised as objections to any proposal for vacancy decontrol or increased vacancy allowances. One is that the incidence of harassment would increase. No one, and certainly not the RSA, condones harassment of tenants under any circumstances. That is why New York City has the most stringent anti-harassment laws in the country, which probably accounts for the fact that there are so few actual ?ndings of tenant harassment by the regulatory agencies. The other objection is that significant rent increases, whether arising from decontrol or vacancy allowances, decrease the supply of so-called affordable housing units. This is a more dif?cult issue, but yet there is a clear choice: either we allow rents to rise to meet operating cost requirements, or we allow rents to remain at inadequately low levels and risk losing our housing resources to abandonment. Some would counter with the illusory suggestion that more non-pro?t housing is the solution. However, this ignores the fact that 20% of the housing sold by the City to non-pro?ts is now also in tax arrears. That is because non-pro?ts must meet the same operating cost pressures as private owners, unless substantial tax abatements and other concessions are provided, depriving the City of the money it needs to operate. The real answer to this objection is another proposal which is on the table today, a resolution calling for a SCRIE type program for low income renters. There are a signi?cant number of City residents whose income is insufficient to support any rent payments whatsoever. In these cases, the answer is to supplement incomes, not try to hold down rents, making the property owner bear the burden and ultimately, placing the burden on every taxpayer. The RSA strongly endorses the income supplementation measure before you, as well as other proposals for an increase in the shelter rent welfare allowance, which would allow low income New Yorkers to live in decent housing. The Committee also has before it several measures which would rationalize the reform measures which were enacted in Albany last year. These measures attempted to introduce some equity into the rent laws by decontrolling certain luxury apartments occupied by wealthy renters. One measure would allow the decontrol of apartments occupied by households earning more than a quarter of a million dollars a year, regardless of the rent paid. It makes no sense to decontrol wealthy households if they pay $2,000 or more per month in rent, but not if they pay less. A second measure would eliminate the October 1, 1993 date as a trigger for the decontrol of apartments renting for more than $2,000 a month. The October 1 date is purely arbitrary and does not conform with the notion that high rent apartments should not be regulated, whether they are high rent now or in the future. We urge the Committee to approve these amendments. They would not affect a signi?cant number of apartments nor would they provide the required economic relief for the housing industry, but they would send a signal that government will not regulate where it is not necessary nor will it protect those not in need of protection. In this context, I should note that the recently released data from the 1993 Housing and Vacancy Survey does not bear on any of the proposals before the Committee. While the 1993 vacancy declined to 3.44% from 3.78% in 1991, this is not a statistically significant difference. Similarly, the drop in the vacancy rate for apartments renting for $1,250 or greater ?'om 10.15% to 4.47% does not mean we can be certain that the vacancy rate for this class of housing is less than The new survey did produce some results which are very surprising and which appear illogical. Unfortunately, the computer data tapes for the survey have not yet been made available to the RSA, and so we have not been able to analyze these results. What is signi?cant about the survey results is that the City-wide vacancy rate remains at its second highest level in thirty years. Since the vacancy rate has remained below even in the midst of the most severe housing recession in decades, there is a question as to whether the vacancy rate can ever rise above 5% and whether the City can ever technically not be in a "housing emergency". There are signi?cant questions about the way the vacancy rate is calculated which should be examined before the Council routinely continues to declare a housing emergency decade a?er decade. In light of these considerations, I urge the Committee to act favorably on the proposals before you today. The City?s economic future and the quality of life of its residents depends on a vibrant housing market. Instead, we have experienced a catatonic market which is quickly falling beyond any hope of resuscitation. We urge you to take this opportunity to breath new life into the City?s rental housing in order to bene?t the City?s economy and its residents. MN W. mama mm mm THE CITY OF NEW YORK OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT (METHE BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN MUNICIPAL BUILDING (212) 689-8300 TESTIMONY OP MANHATTAN BOROUGH PRESIDENT RUTH I. NEBBINGER BEFORE THE CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON HOUSING AND BUILDINGS CONCERNING THE EXTENSION OF THE RENT CONTROL AND RENT STABILIZATION LANE. THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 1993. CITY HALL. I unequivocally support Intro. 215 and Res. 144, which will extend for three years the rent stabilization and rent control laws for the tenants of New York City. Rent regulation and tenant protections are an essential component of the city's overall housing policy. NYC has nearly three million housing units; over two-thirds of them are rental units. Approximately half the rental stock is regulated through rent stabilization (1,013,097 units) or rent control (101,798 units). These rent regulated apartments are home to some two and one-half million people. Every three years, the NYC Housing and Vacancy Survey (HVS) is prepared for the City using housing and economic data from the 0.8. Bureau of the Census. The 1993 HVS documents an 8% decline from 1991 in the number of vacant and available-for-rent units. This puts the current vacancy rate at 3.44%. This is well below the 5% set by the State Legislature as the threshold for determining a housing emergency. This is also the standard that gives the City Council its authority to renew the rent laws. We have certainly met and exceeded this criteria. The rent laws are an indispensable part of the City's strategy for addressing its housing crisis. For an increasing number of households, these laws are a hedge against homelessness. While it is true that households of all incomes live in our rent regulated stock, lower income households are clearly the main beneficiaries. According to the 1993 HVS, 63% of households living in rent controlled units and 48% of households living in rent stabilized units earn less than $20,000 per year. The proportion of renter households with incomes below the poverty level has increased and is now 30%. At the same time the proportion of low-rent units, those renting for less than $400 per month, has declined to 24%, and now represent less than one-quarter of the total number of occupied renter units. It was the shortage in the supply of affordable housing that first prompted the State Legislature in 1943 to introduce laws to regulate rents and to preserve tenure and housing quality. Strategies to address the crisis today must be comprehensive and meaningful and include the rent, eviction and housing quality protections provided by the current rent laws. In this spirit, I urge you to vote in favor of Intro. 215 and Res. 144. The many other bills before this Committee today seek to undermine and roll back the existing regulations and protections. For example, Intro. 227 and Intro. 228, which have received a lot of attention in the media today, would allow a 25% rent increase upon vacancy. This increase is arbitrary and is not based the real costs of operating buildings. The NYC Rent Guidelines Board sets annual rent adjustments, including vacancy allowances, using data on landlord costs and information and testimony from tenants and owners. In addition, large increases upon vacancy can act as an inducement for owner harassment and illegal evictions. Therefore I urge you to vote for Intro. 215 and Res. 144 to extend the existing rent laws for all rent controlled and rent stabilized buildings; TESTIMONY BEFOFIE THE THE NEW YOFIK CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON HOUSING AND BUILDINGS MARCH 10, 1994 By Timothy L. Collins Executive Director and Counsel to the New York City Rent Guidelines Board Good afternoon. My name is Tim Collins and i am the Executive Director and Counsel for the New York City Fient Guidelines Board. first want to thank the Committee for giving me this opportunity to speak. As you know. the Rent Guidelines Board conducts an annual investigation into the conditions of the rental housing industry and sets rents tor the City's one million rent stabilized units. With the cooperation of numerous City and State agencies over the past five years the Board has dramatically expanded both the quantity and quality of the information and analysis used in the rent setting process. This achievement occurred at a time when the City's allocation for support staff and consulting services actually fell by over 20%. I understand that the Committee members have received copies of the staff's annual research report for 1993. if you have not yet received a copy please let me know and I will be sure to have one sent. Before proceeding i need to make two disclaimers. First. my appearance here is by invitation of the Committee. The Rant Guidelines Board is not a Mayoral agency and i am not an employee of the City of New York. work exclusively for the Rent Guidelines Board. in addition. those of you who are familiar with the work of the Board will recognize that i cannot speak on behalf of all of the various interests and points of view represented on the Board. So i will simply try to share with you some of the information that my staff has developed and note some of the unresolved questions that we have identified over the past few years. Finally. with one exception. i will avoid making specific recommendations on any legislative initiatives which might be contemplated by this Committee. As I stated in testimony before the State Senate Committee on Housing and Community Renewal this past May, my role here is not to influence legislation but to assist in ensuring that whatever actions might be taken are preceded by a rigorous and responsible discussion of the issues. i hope that the Committee will find my testimony helpful in this regard. The one exception where i feel it is appropriate that i urge a legislative change concerns a single element of the local Rent Stabilization Law Admin. Code that has been overlooked for too long. This is really a fairly minor matter that has nothing to do with rent policies. I am referring to the per diem payments received by those who serve on the Rent Guidelines Board. Unfortunately. since the rent laws are only visited once every three years. this is the only real opportunity to recommend a change. As I am sure you are all aware. service on the Rent Guidelines Board can be one of the most trying and thankless tasks in local government. We are very fortunate to have an outstanding and group on the present Board. When the Board was first established in 1969 the City Council intended that it be composed of nine distinguished housing experts, who would bring integrity and competence to a difficult and complex process. Reflecting that Intent, compensation was set at $100 per day for members and $125 per day for the Chair - a substantial sum at that time. In 1993 dollars that level of compensation is the equivalent of over $400 per day for Members and over $500 per day for the Chair. Yet. per diem compensation for the Fient Guidelines Board has never been revisited. That is, members are still receiving $100 per day and the Chair still receives $125 per day. In short, they haven't had a raise in twenty- five years. In correcting for this I would hope that the Council might consider the per diem rates of other local Boards. Lott Board members receive $175 per day - and that rate was established over a decade ago. Members of the Conflicts of Interest Board receive $250 per day. The Chair receives $275 a day. Those rates have been in effect since at least 1990. I understand that Members of the Civil Service Commission also receive $250 per day, and the Chair receives $275. Those rates have also been in effect since at least 1990. Given the fact that the above mentioned rates are already quite dated. along with the fact that these types of rates tend to be updated at a slow pace. it would appear reasonable to establish rates of compensation for the Rent Guidelines Board that are higher than those received by the Conflicts of interest Board or the Civil Service Commission. Since the Rent Guidelines Board typically meets about twelve times a year, If the members of the Board were to receive $275 per day. and the Chair $325 per day, the total additional cost to the City would be less than twenty-thousand dollars This is a long needed correction, and i would hope that. as a matter of good government, someone on the Council will introduce such a change and that the Committee will support it. Unless there are any questions. at this point i would like to turn to more general concerns about local rent regulation policies. This Committee is being called upon to consider a number of bills concerning the extension and/or modification of existing rent regulations. As I said earlier, I take no official position on the ultimate course of the City's rent policies. i would. however. like to discuss the prudence of making long term changes under a short deadline in the kind of high pressure. politically charged atmosphere in which the current changes are being proposed. The effects of rent regulation on the local economy. local tax revenues, neighborhood and household stability, economic and ethnic diversity. and on the attractiveness of the City to middle income households are poorly understood and rarely analyzed in a balanced fashion. We now have a good deal of information about the effects of rent regulation on the net operating incomes realized by property owners and i will turn to that issue later in my presentation. Here I only wish to emphasize that the issues connected with rent regulation are too complex and important to be treated as routine legislative matters. in enacting the Rent Reform Act of 1993, I believe that the State has adopted a prudent approach by extending the Emergency Tenant Protection Act four years while committing itself to conduct a comprehensive study of rent regulation by June 30. 1995. it seems to me that it is within that effort. and in that forum. that sound rent policies might emerge. Since the City will be most heavily effected by this State initiative, local efforts to reconsider these laws might be more fruitfully directed at ensuring that the City's voice is heard when the State undertakes its review. The City needs to make a clear and convincing case that will assure the local public that any recommended course of action rests upon serious study and sound judgment - not politics. Protection against unconscionable rents. arbitrary evictions and loss of services have been an accepted fixture of local housing policies for over half a century. if a change is to be recommended. the public needs to know that it is the product of serious thought - not a reflection of who controls the most votes or who makes the biggest campaign donations. I shared much of the testimony which follows with the State Senate Committee on Housing and Community Renewal prior to the adoption of the Rent Reform Act of 1993. i hope that this updated presentation will assist this Committee in framing the questions that clearly deserve further analysis. New York's rent regulation laws have been described by the Court of Appeals as an "impenetrable thicket confusing to lawyers and laymen alike". My eight years of experience in this field have led me to conclude that the policy issues underlying these laws are equally complex. This is no doubt due to the tremendous diversity of circumstances facing renters in New York and to the variety of housing types that they inhabit. It is also due, in part, to the politically charged atmosphere surrounding the issue of rent regulation. Over the years millions of dollars have been spent by various interest groups attempting to influence City and State rent policies. Ftent regulation may. in fact. need some reform. Indeed the Ftent Guidelines Board is on record as supporting reform of the current hardship mechanisms by which owners may be ensured a fair return. As each of you know, efforts to change rent regulations are not without precedent. Some reforms have been successful. Others have been disastrous. I am sure you are familiar with the City's brief experience with vacancy decontrol in the early 1970's. The public record on this experience is clear. Sharp rent increases and rising public apprehensions led to the adoption of the Emergency Tenant Protection Act of 1974. You may not be as familiar with the impact of the rent control reforms that occurred during the same period. No where are the consequences of these reforms better examined than in a study of the City's housing policies from 1965 through 1973 by Flora Sellers Davidson, now Associate Dean of the Faculty at Barnard College. have attached a copy of an abstract summarizing Dean Davidson's study for your convenience. Her analysis is a work of exceptional scholarship which essentially describes how political preoccupation with rent control can drown out far more critical issues which affect the viability of housing. This preoccupation with rent control as a way of stemming housing losses distracted policy makers from developing more productive strategies which may have prevented the unprecedented and tragic wave of housing abandonment which occurred in the 1970's. Again. add these observations not to suggest that legislative changes are necessarily a bad thing - but only to point out that the consequences of poorly conceived or premature decisions can be devastating. I can state with some confidence that there are policies other than rent regulation which presently have a far greater impact on the viability of the City's housing stock. Many of those who testify before the Rent Guidelines Board each year often assert that much of the stress placed upon marginal properties is the result of regulated rents being held below market. Interestingly It is precisely in the City's poorest neighborhoods where the gap between regulated rents and market rents is the smallest. in fact. many of the rents in these neighborhoods are not constrained by rent regulation at all but by the inability of tenants to afford to pay more. Over 150,000 rent stabilized households currently receive shelter allowances. The value of these allowances in inflation adjusted dollars for a family of tour has plummeted from a value of $568 in 1975 to $312 in 1992. This drop in ability to pay forms a direct and immediate threat to the City?s most critically needed private housing stock. There are a number of other ways policy makers can get caught up in the tangle of reports, studies and opinions on the issue of rent regulation. For example. owner advocates will describe the relatively low turnover rates in New York as housing grid-lock. Tenant advocates will describe low turnover rates as neighborhood stability. In fact, it is probably a little of both. Vacancy rates are another area of possible confusion. We know from recent HVS data that the housing shortage remains severe in a number of sub-markets. The current vacancy rate is less than 3.5% - well below the emergency level of In fact, the housing shortage ls far worse than these numbers indicate. During an economic downturn vacancy rates can be very misleading. Fient control, as you know. was established in 1943. A 1946 Report of a joint. legislative committee to recodify the Multiple Dwelling Law noted that a housing shortage had begun to appear as early as 1936. It was also noted that the shortage was largely concealed because economic conditions during the depression forced families to double up. New York City is now emerging from perhaps the greatest economic downturn since the 1930?s. We do know that the rate of overcrowding in rent stabilized apartments has risen from 7.6% in 1981 to 12.1% of households in 1993. If the economy picks up and those doubled up begin to form new households the current vacancy rate could drop precipitously - creating the most extreme kind of market tightness. This will only amplify the current shortage [in all markets] and further undermine fair bargaining between owners and tenants. A further area of uncertainty is the impact of rent regulation on local tax revenues. Existing data on the tax benefits that full or partial deregulation will create is highly misleading. A 1988 study by Peat Marwick Main Co. suggested that their recommendations for partial deregulation would result in up to a $370 million dollar increase in City tax revenues. A more modest 1991 deregulation proposal by the Citizen's Budget Commission predicted a $100 million dollar revenue increase would result from partial deregulation. Both studies are premised upon a standard economic assumption. That assumption suggests that beyond the identified economic impact all other things will remain equal. But all other things do not always remain equal. First, neither proposal considers the Impact that a shift from consumer spending to rent payments might have on local sales tax revenues. A dollar spent on rent will travel a different route than a dollar spent on consumer goods or a dollar placed in a savings account at a local bank. Local revenues are affected no matter which way those dollars are spent. In addition to the implication for sales tax revenues. no one has analyzed what impact such a loss of disposable income might have on local businesses and, hence. income taxes. It is simply myopic to view the impact on local revenues only from the perspective of property taxes. Second. and perhaps more importantly. no one has ever carefully explored whether or not rent and eviction protections have made New York a more desirable place to live for its middle class. New York's middle class today remains a vital part of its economy. The flight of middle income households, as you know, has resulted in serious economic deterioration in a number of other large cities. None of the current studies supporting deregulation attempt to quantify the extent to which deregulation might be the last straw for those who would be willing to take advantage of lower housing costs elsewhere. 10 In the short term, of course, rising rents would lead to. somewhat higher property tax assessments which will in turn result In higher revenues for the City. Yet, given the City's existing valuation and rate system, the average tenant already bears a very high preperty tax burden. The average rent stabilized tenant indirectly pays over $1,000 per year in property taxes - and that Is for living space which is typically half that of private homes. About 70% of the City's households are renters. They receive none of the tax benefits that home owners - who form the majority of households elsewhere - benefit from. I think it is clear that we should explore better ways to fund local services than to demand more taxes from tenants through rent increases. The best way to raise or stabilize local revenues is to keep existing businesses in the City and to attract new businesses. One of the most common concerns of companies asked to relocate to New York is the high cost of housing. Higher housing costs mean higher wage demands. Higher residential rents may, in this respect. hurt the City's business environment. The first order of business for anyone seeking to save the City's housing stock should be the creation of more jobs, so people can pay the rents that are already authorized under the law. As I will note later. collection losses are a far more severe problem for property owners than are the legal limits on rent increases. Another issue that often gets distorted concerns the goal of rent stabilization. if you read the legislative findings of both the 11 Emergency Protection Act and the City's Rent Stabilization Law the goal of rent stabilization is to establish fair rents. rents that - because of the housing shortage - might otherwise be excessive or expioitive, regardless of household income. Rent stabilization was never Intended to be an anti-poverty program. indeed. when the City's Housing and Development Administration and Department of Consumer Affairs investigated spiraling rents in uncontrolled apartments in 1968 - a study which led to the enactment of rent stabilization - reports of rent gouging (quoting from their report) "were concentrated in the traditionally high rent areas of the City, and most heavily in large newer buildings?. The goal was not to protect the poor but to inject some fairness into a failed market. it is remarkable how many times I have heard someone assert that rent stabilization is a failure because it doesn?t protect the poor. Protecting the poor was never the primary concern of the system. Establishing fair rents in a market driven by a shortage was the objective. incidentally. however, the poor do benefit tremendously from the tenure protections under rent regulation. These tenure protections could easily be defeated by economic evictions if owners were completely free to set rents. Also. with a median household income of $14,400 and a median age of 70, rent appears to protect a particuiariy vulnerable class of tenants. That these tenants benefit from a system designed to correct for market failure is certainly helpful but that does not change the original purpose of the law. Notably. for rent regulated tenants in New York City earning less than $100,000 per year the cost of housing as a proportion of income Is somewhat lower than It is for tenants living in other high rent cities. Yet. for tenants in New York City who earn more than $100,000 per year the proportion of income spent on rent is about the same as It is In other high rent clties.? Therefore, the charge that rent regulation in New York City benefits the rich at the expense of those less well off is not supported in terms of relative average rent burdens. Recent measures to reconstruct rent regulation by limiting protection to certain income groups fundamentally alter the original premise of the system. Again, that premise was to ensure that fair rents are established for all tenants - not just the poorest. Changes In that premise raise constitutional issues which have yet to be tested. it is clear that states and localities have. under the police power. an authority to regulate markets and prices. Such practices .date back to colonial times and indeed were sustained throughout the United States Supreme Court's conservative Lochner era - a period when even child labor laws were held unconstitutional. It is not clear. however. that rent regulations can be made selective on the basis of income classifications of the benefited population. These observations are based on a review of Table 7 ct Reforming Residential Rent Regulations. 3 study sponsored by the Citizens Budget Commission. published in February of 1991. 13 When owners are told that they may charge market rents tor affluent tenants but must charge less than market for those less well off, the system gives the appearance that the owners are being asked to bear a public welfare burden that is more properly allocated among taxpayers as a whole. This argument follows from the notion that rent regulation creates a subsidy for those it benefits. The City Council should not fall into this conceptual trap. Fient regulation was established to restore tair bargaining relations for all parties in a market driven by a severe housing shortage. The ultimate goal oi the Rent Guidelines Board is to attempt to establish rents at levels that would exist in the absence of the housing shortage/emergency. That is. the Board attempts to establish increases that might occur if balanced bargaining relations existed between all owners and all tenants. To describe such rents as creating a "subsidy" assumes that market level rents are presumptiver fair - a presumption which is fundamentally at odds with the declaration of a housing emergency. Another area that is subject to a great deal of contusion concerns the effects of rent regulation on housing abandonment and new construction. cannot summarize for you all of the various reports and studies I have seen on this issue over the years. But my stalt has gathered a tremendous amount of information on this issue in recent years. In addition the Board hosted a round table discussion with iive experts holding diverse views on the subject of 14 Staff: Anthony Baronci Counsel to the Committee REPORT or TEE INFRASTRUCTURE DIVISION NICHOLAS meme, DIRECTOR ON age BUILDINGS March 10, 1994 131, 215: By: Council Members Michele, Eristofi, Rosado, Marshall, Freed, Millard, Linaree, Malave-Dilan, Fields, DiBrienza, Duane, Eldridge, Foster, Leffler, McCabe and Povman; also Council Members Clarke, Cruz, Eisland, Henry, Pinkett, Rivera, Robles, White and Roslowitz (In conjunction with the Mayor) ELTLE: In relation to continuing the stabilization of rents in certain housing accommodations. AQHINIBTRATIVE CODE: Amends sections 26-502 and 26-520. In 1969, the Council passed Local Law No. 16 which enacted the Rent Stabilization regulating multiple dwellings containing six: or' more units built after February 1, 1947. That local law was to expire on April 1, 1974. In 1971, the State Legislature enacted Chapter 371 of the Laws of 1971 (the "Vacancy Decontrol Law") which removed from the protection of the City Rent and Rehabilitation Law {Rent Control) and the ?Rent Stabilization, Law dwelling 'units that became vacant. These units were thereafter not subject to any rent regulation. In 1974, the Council passed Local Law No. 1 which extended the Rent Stabilization Law to April 1, 1979. This law applied to those rent stabilized dwelling units not vacated during the 1971-1974 period. Thereafter, the State Legislature passed Chapter 576 of the Laws of 1974 (the "Emergency Tenant Protection Act?) which gave Rent Stabilization Law protection to those unite that had become vacant during the 1971-1974 'decontrol? period. The Council has extended the Rent Stabilization Law in 1982 (Local Law No. 18), 1985 (Local Law No. 24), 1988 (Local Law No. 18), and 1991 (Local Law No. 20). 15:53:: Int. No. 215 extends the Rent Stabilization Law of 1969 from April 1, 1994 to April 1, 1997 without change. In order to extend the Rent Stabilization Law of 1969, the Council must determine whether a housing emergency exists on the basis of the supply of housing accommodations, condition of such accommodations and the need for regulating and controlling residential rents. declaration of emergency may be made as to any class of housing accommodations if the vacancy rate for the housing accommodations in such class is not in excess of five percent and a declaration of emergency may be made as to all housing accommodations if the vacancy rate for the housing accommodations is not in excess of five percent." (Section 3 of Chapter 576 of the Laws of 1914). Based on data from the 1993 New York City Housing and Vacancy Survey which examined the period from late February through late May 1993, the Bureau of the Census has determined c. -3- that the citywide rental vacancy rate in New York City is 3.44i with a standard error of 0.19%. This legislation would take effect immediately} AB Int. N0. 215 Int. No. 215 By Council Members Michele, Eristoff, Rosado, Marshall, Freed, Hillard, Linares, Malave-Dilan, Fields, DiBrienza, Duane, Eldridge, Foster, Leffler, McCabe and Povman; also Council Members Clarke, Cruz, Eisland, Henry, Pinkett, Rivera, Robles, White and Koslowitz A LOCAL LAW To amend the administrative code of the City of New York, in relation to continuing the stabilization of rents in certain housing accommodations. Hg it enacted by th?_CougciL as Section 1. Section 26-502 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as last amended by local law 20 for the year 1991, is amended to read as follows: 526-502 Additional findings and declaration of emergency. The council hereby finds that a serious public emergency continues to exist in the housing of a considerable number of persons within the City of New York and will continue to exist after April first, [nineteen hundred ninety-one] nineteen and hereby reaffirms and repromulgates the findings and declaration set forth in section 26-501 of this title. 52. Section 26-520 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as last amended by local law 20 for the year 1991, is amended to read as follows: 526*520 Expiration date. This chapter shall expire on April first, [nineteen hundred ninetyafour] unless rent control shall sooner terminate as provided in subdivision three of section one of the local emergency housing rent control law. 93. This local law shall take effect immediately. 1.8.174 Housing Bldga. AB/js 2/23/94 Staff: Anthony Baronci Counsel to the Committee REPORT OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE DIVISION NICHOLAS LAPORTE, DIRECTOR COMMITTEE ON HOUSING AND BUILDINGS March 10, 1994 By: Council Members Ognibene, Fusco and O'Donovan; also Council Members Malave-Dilan, Foster, Pinkett and Robinson Urging the Governor and the New York State Legislature to adopt legislation authorizing the City of New York to establish a program modeled after the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption that would shield low income households from rent increases. EACEQBOQED AND IETENT: According to a recently published report by the Community Service Society of New York, entitled, ?Housing On the Block: Disinvestment and Abandonment Risks in New York City Neighborhoods,? the Report") nearly one out of every six privately owned rental properties approximately 7,500 multiple dwellings with 140,000 dwelling units -- is at serious risk of abandonment. The CSS Report further stated that the tax delinquency and abandonment rate for the most fragile segment of the City's private rental housing market - rent regulated units in low income communities had increased by an alarming 71% during the past four years, and during Fiscal Year 1992, the City took title through in-rem tax foreclosure proceedings to approximately 400 occupied residential buildings with 2,529 units, and another 278 vacant buildings. These findings were also reflected in a .1992 report, "Preserving New York's Low Income Housing Stock??: (the CHPC Report") published by the Citizens Housing and Planning Council, which concluded that while there was an urgent need for rents that realistically reflect building maintenance and operating costs, ?at the same time it is necessary to recognize that many New Yorkers simply do not have the means to pay economic rents without incurring financial hardship;" and As a result of their findings, both the Community Service Society and the Citizens Housing and Planning Council both recommend the establishment of a rent increase exemption that covers low income tenants in residential buildings at high risk of delinquency and abandonment in targeted neighborhoods. Specifically they recommend that a program similar to the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption Program (SCRIE) be created to aid non-elderly tenants who do not receive public assistance and reside in private, rent regulated housing and who earn approximately 50% or less of the median income for the New York City metropolitan area. This resolution urges the Governor and the New York State Legislature to adopt legislation authorizing the City of New York to establish a program modeled after the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption that would shield low income households from rent increases. AB 3/9/94 8:45 a.m. Res. 146 Res. No. 146 Resolution urging the Governor and the New York State Legislature to adopt legislation authorizing the City of ?New York to establish a program modeled after the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption that would shield low income households from rent increases. 7 By Council Members Ognibene, Fusco and O'Donovan; also Council Members Halave-Dilan, Foster, Pinkett and Robinson Whereas, According to a recently published report by the Community Service Society of New York, entitled, "Housing On the Block: Disinvestment and Abandonment Risks in New York City Neighborhoods," nearly one out of every six privately owned rental properties -- approximately 7,500 multiple dwelling buildings with 140,000 apartment units -- is at serious risk of abandonment; and Whereas, The Community Service Society report found that the tax delinquency and abandonment rate for the most fragile segrent of the City's private rental housing market rent regulated units in low income communities -- had increased by an alarming 71% during the past four years, and during Fiscal Year 1992, the City took title through in-rem tax foreclosure proceedings to approximately 400 occupied residential buildings with 2,529 units, and another 218 vacant buildings; and Whereas, These findings were also reflected in a 1992 report, "Preserving New York's Low Income Housing Stock," published by the Citizens Housing and Planning Council, which concluded that while there was an urgent need for rents that realistically reflect building maintenance and operating costs, "at the same time it is necessary to recognize that many New Yorkers simply do not have the ?means to pay economic rents without incurring financial hardship;? and Whereas, Having documented the vulnerable state of private rental housing in New York Cityzm the Citizens Housing and Planning Council and the Community Service Society of New York have both endorsed a proposal to establish a rent increase exemption that covers low income tenants in residential buildings at high risk of delinquency and abandonment in targeted neighborhoods; and Whereas, The Citizens Housing and Planning Council has specifically recommended that a program similar to the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption Program (SCRIE) be created to aid non-elderly tenants who do not receive public assistance and reside in private, rent regulated housing and who earn approximately 50% or less of the median income for the New York City metropolitan area; and Whereas, Because the Council is not authorized by state law to establish a program to shield low income tenants from rent increases, this resolution urges Governor Cuomo and the State Legislature to enact legislation authorizing New York City to establish a Low Income Tenant Rent Increase Exemption program that would cover that portion of rent} payments that exceeds one-third of household income with the subsidies provided through real property tax abatements to the owners of the buildings where such households reside to offset the reduced rental income; and Whereas, While the establishment of a Low .Income Tenant Rent Increase Exemption program would result in the loss of real property tax collections, the minimal loss of tax revenue would be more than adequately outweighed by such benefits of the program as the diversion of a large segment of vulnerable rental properties from the City's publicly financed multi-billion dollar in-rem foreclosure and property management bureaucracy, the maintenance of residential properties on the tax rolls, and the encouragement of reinvestment in the private housing stock; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New fork urges the Governor and the New York State Legislature to adopt legislation authorizing ?the City of York 'to establish a program modeled after the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption that would shield low income households from rent increases. as 2/22/94 CUUCILMHN D. RUSRDO Mar 09.9d 14:12 No.008 P.02 THECOUNCK OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK DAVID Henna OOUNOIL MEMBER. WTH DISTRICT COMMITTEES: 5' OML same: a. LABOR mm ENVIRONMENTAL PHOTEOTION ma) 402-1009 Housma a Hummus HALL omen: I: March 9, 1994 NEW YORK. NY 10007 Mr. Peter F. Vallone Speaker New York City Council City Hall New York, New York 10007 Dear Speaker Vellone: Please be advised that due to a sudden death in Councilman David Roeedo'e family, he will not be able to attend the Committee on Civil Service and Labor hearing: scheduled for Wednesday, March 9th and the Committee on Housing and Buildings scheduled for Thursday, March 10, 1994. The Cgugoilmember should be returning to the oi by Monday, March 14, 1 9 . Sine y, Enr rajon Chi of Staff cc: Yvonne Gonzalez Steve Stark Councilman Jose Rivera Councilmen Archie Spigner Int. No. 521?, By Council Members Michele and Eristoff A LOCAL LAW To amend the administrative code of the City of New York, in relation to continuing the stabilization of rents in certain housing accommodations. Be it enacted by the Council as follows: Section 1. Section 26-502 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as last amended by local law 20 for the year 1991, is amended to read as follows: 526-502 Additional findings and declaration of emergency. The council hereby finds that a serious public emergency continues to exist in the housing of a considerable number of persons within the City of New York and will continue to exist after April first, [nineteen hundred ninetywone] nineteen hundred ninety?four and hereby reaffirms and repromulgates the findings and declaration set forth in section 26-501 of this title. Section 26-520 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as last amended by local law 20 for the year 1991, is amended to read as follows: 526-520 Expiration date. This chapter shall expire on April first, [nineteen hundred ninety-four] ninety-seven unless rent control shall sooner terminate as provided in subdivision three of section one of the local emergency housing rent control law. s3. This local law shall take effect immediately. Int. No. ?le, By Council Members Michele and Eristoff A LOCAL LAW To amend the administrative code of the City of New York, in relation to continuing the stabilization of rents in certain housing accommodations. Be it enacted by the Council as follows: Section 1. Section 26-502 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as last amended by local law 20 for the year 1991, is amended to read as follows: 526?502 Additional findings and declaration of emergency. The council hereby finds that a serious public emergency continues to exist in the housing of a considerable number of persons within the City of New York and will continue to exist after April first, [nineteen hundred ninety-one] nineteen hundred ninetvmfour and hereby reaffirms and repromulgates the findings and declaration set forth in section 26-501 of this title. Section 26-520 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as last amended by local law 20 for the year 1991, is amended to read as follows: ?26-520 Expiration date. This chapter shall expire on April first, [nineteen hundred ninety-four] nineteen hundred ninety-seven unless rent control shall sooner terminate as provided subdivision three of section one of the local emergency housing rent control law. S3. This local law shall take effect immediately. THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK INFRASTRUCTURE DIVISION NICHOLAS L. FORTE. Jr. 75 DIRECTOR II2 February 23, 1994 TO: Council Members Michels and Eristoff FROM: Infrastructure Division RE: To amend the administrative code of the City of New York, in relation to continuing the stabilization of rents in certain housing accmmodations. The attached material was prepared at your request. If this material is to be introduced, please indicate below that you have received and approved the draft and please then forward six copies to Peter F. Vallone, Speaker, City Hall. If you want to amend or alter the draft, please contact Anthony Baronci (212?788?9104). In the event that you revise the attached and submit it in revised form, please send us a copy as soon as possible. A copy of the above resolution or local law has been sent to Council Member for introduction. Counsel to the Division Enema' Legislati? Attorney Anthony onci Peter F. Vallcne: Please introduce ?this legislation. My' approval is/is not (please circle where appropriate) needed for co-sponsorship1?wax- Council Member's Signature .W?rkvci II i '4 x. - .-: Cout? c) LL 1 big, ?veru - FEB?Edwiggd 12: 36 FROM TO 8911? I: 0 HBKORANDUK IN SUPPORT TITLE: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the City of New York, in relation to continuing the stabilization of rents in certain housing accommodations. Intro. INTRODUCED: By Council Members Michele, Linares, Clarke, Duane, Eristof?, Fields, Foster, Freed, Leffler, McCabs, McCaffrey, Millard and Povman HWY OP This bill formally declares that "a serious public emergen- cy" involving the lack of available rental housing in New York city continues to exist, thereby necessitating the continuation ofiRent stabilization in multiple dwellings with six or more un to. REASONS FOR screens: The Council must enact this law to continue Rent Stabiliza? tion until 1997 for more than one million apartments in the city. The Housing Vacancy Survey commissioned by the city determined that the vacancy rate is only 3.44%, indicating the continued public emergency in the city's housing stock. Rent Stabiliza? tion, a system in which tenants are guaranteed lease renewals and rent increases are determined by the Rent Guidelines Board, is therefore necessary to ensure affordable housing for millions of tenants throughout the city. Int. No. 521?, By Council Members Michele and Eristoff A LOCAL LAW To amend the administrative code of the City of New York, in relation to continuing the stabilization of rents in certain housing accommodations. Be it enacted by the Council as follows: Section 1. Section 26-502 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as last amended by local law 20 for the year 1991, is amended to read as follows: 526-502 Additional findings and declaration of emergency. The council hereby finds that a serious public emergency continues to exist in the housing of a considerable number of persons within the City of New York and will continue to hundred first, [nineteen ninety-one] nineteen hundred ninetynfour and hereby reaffirms and repromulgates the findings and declaration set forth in exist after April section 26-501 of this title. 52. Section 26?520 of the administrative code of the city of New YOrk, as last amended by local law 20 for the year 1991, is amended to read as follows: 526-520 Expiration date. This chapter shall expire on April first, [nineteen hundred ninety-four] nineteen hundred ninety?seven unless rent control shall sooner terminate as provided in subdivision three of section one of the local emergency housing rent control law. This local law shall take effect immediately. Int. No. 521?, By Conncil Members Michele and Eristoff A LOCAL LAW To amend the administrative code of the City of New York, in relation to continuing the stabilization of rents in certain housing accommodations. Be it enacted by the Council as follows: Section 1. Section 26-502 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as last amended by local law 20 for the year 1991, is amended to read as follows: ?26-502 Additional findings and declaration of emergency. The council hereby finds that a serious public emergency continues to exist in the housing of a considerable number of persons within the City of New York and will continue to exist after April first, [nineteen hundred ninety-one] nineteen hundred ninety-four and hereby reaffirms and repromulgates the findings and declaration set forth in section 26-501 of this title. Section 26-520 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as last amended by local law 20 for the year 1991, is amended to read as follows: ?26-520 Expiration date. This chapter shall expire on April first, [nineteen hundred ninety?four] nineteen hundred ninety?seven unless rent control shall sooner terminate as provided ix: subdivision three of section one of the local emergency housing rent control law. 53. This local law shall take effect immediately. Housing AB/js 2/23/94 Int. No. ?Zlgr By Council Members Michele and Eristoff A LOCAL LAW To amend the administrative code of the City of New York, in relation to continuing the stabilization of rents in certain housing accommodations. Be it enacted by the Council as follows: Section 1. Section 26-502 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as last amended by local law 20 for the year 1991, is amended to read as follows: 526-502 Additional findings and declaration of emergency. The council hereby finds that a serious public emergency continues to exist in the housing of a considerable number of persons within the City of New York and will continue to exist after April first, [nineteen hundred ninety?one] nineteen hundred ninety-four and hereby reaffirms and repromulgates the findings and declaration set forth in section 26-501 of this title. 52. Section 26-520 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as last amended by local law 20 for the year 1991, is amended to read as follows: ?26~520 Expiration date. This chapter shall expire on April first, [nineteen hundred ninetwaour] nineteen hundred ninety-seven unless rent control shall sooner terminate as provided 5J1 subdivision three of section one of the local emergency housing rent control law. S3. This local law shall take effect immediately. Int. No. ?Zlg? By Council Members Michele and Eristoff A LOCAL LAW To amend the administrative code of the City of New York, in relation to continuing the stabilization of rents in certain housing accommodations. Be it enacted by the Council as follows: Section 1. Section 26-502 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as last amended by local law 20 for the year 1991, is amended to read as follows: ?26-502 Additional findings and declaration of emergency. The council hereby finds that a serious public emergency continues to exist in the housing of a considerable number of persons within the City of New ?York and. will continue to exist after April first, [nineteen hundred ninety-one] nineteen hundred ninety-four and hereby reaffirms and repromulgates the findings and declaration set forth in section 26-501 of this title. Section 26-520 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as last amended by local law 20 for the year 1991, is amended to read as follows: $26?$20 Expiration date. This chapter shall expire on April first, [nineteen hundred ninety-four] nineteen hundred unless rent control shall sooner terminate as provided in subdivision three of section one of the local emergency housing rent control law. This local law shall take effect immediately. Housing AB/js 2/23/94 THE OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK. N.Y. 10007 YVONNE GONZALEZ ASSISTANT commas. March 2, 1994 Ms. Roberta Bernstein Small Property Owners of New York 1681 Third Avenue New York, N.Y. 10028 RE: Int. 207 EWempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 - Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 Cbntinuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 217 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 22? Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Ms. Bernstein: Please be advised that the committee on Housing and Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday, March 10. 1994 at 12:00 P.M. in mber Ci Hall NY, regarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send Thirty [302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you fer your cooperation. Sincerely yours, 3 .Yvonne Gonzalez 5 Assistant Counsel THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK. N.Y. 10007 YVONNE GONZALEZ ASBESTANT COUNSEL March 2, 1994 Hon. Herbert W. Stupp Commissioner New YOrk City Department for the Aging 2 Lafayette Street New York, N.Y. 10007 RE: Int. 207 - Ekempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Ekempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 Cbntinuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 217 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 22? - Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 - Rent increases fer rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 - Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Hen. Stupp: Please be advised that the committee on Heusing and.Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday. March 10. 1994 at 12:90 P.M, in th ham it H'll 2nd Floor. New York, NY..regarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify ., therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send Thirtz (302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you fer your cooperation. Sincerely yours, Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel YG/df c:M.Hnst THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK. MY. 1000? YVONNE GONZALEZ assmm counsen. 2555:2935 March 2, 7994 Mr. Rueben Franco Chairman New Heusing Authority 250 Broadway New York, N.Y. 10007 RE: Int. 20? Ekempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 continuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 21? - vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 227 - Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Mr. Franco: Please be advised that the committee on ?busing and.Bui1dings will hold a hearing on Thursda 2nd.Floor. New York. NY. regarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your? staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send Thirty (302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you for your cooperation. Sincerely yo rs, Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel YG/df c: M. Hirst THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK. MY. 1000? YVONNE GONZALEZ as snsum COUNSEL LE ?7 March 2, 1994 Hon. Deborah Wright Commissioner Department of Housing Preservation and Development 700 Gold Street New York, N.Y. 70038 RE: Int. 207 - Exempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Ekempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 continuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 217 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 - Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 227 Rent increases fer rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Hon. Wright: Please be advised that the Committee on Heusing and Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday, March 70. 1994 at 1g;00 P.M. in the council Chambers, City Hall, 2nd.Floor, New York, NY. regarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your . staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send 1Wirtz (302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreCiated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you for your cooperation. Sincerely yours, was: Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel YG/df c: M. Hirst THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK, NY. 10007 YVONNE GONZALEZ COUNSEL March 2, 1994 Mr. Pat Silonoifi Rent Administration Policy Division of Housing and community Renewal 10 Columbus Circle New York, N.Y. 10019 RE: Int. 207 Exempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 - continuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 277 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 - Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 22? Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 - Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Mr. Silonolfi: Please be advised that the Committee on Housing and.Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday. March 10, 1994 at in the qungil ghambers. City Hall. 2nd.Floor. New York, NY..regarding the above referred topics. Mac are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send Thirty (302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these capies to the hearing. Thank you fer your cooperation. Sincerely yours, 3% Areas Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK. NY. 10007 WLNNE GONZALEZ ASMSTANTCOUNSEL TELEPHONE 212-780-7210 March 2, 1994 Hon. Donald M. Helperin Gemmissioner Division of Housing and community Renewal One Fordham Plaza Bronx, N.Y. 10458 RE: Int. 207 Exempting_from rent control/stabilization law Int. 208 a Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law Int. 215 continuing the stabilization of rents.? Int. 217 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 227 Rent increases fer rent stabilized?dwelling units. Int. 228 Rent increases fer rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Hen. Helperin: Please be advised that the Committee on Heusing and Buildings hold a hearing on g?yrsdaz? march 1 1 4 12- in he uncil hambers. City Hall,4gnd Floor, New'York. NY..regarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testi?y therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send Thirty (302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly apprediated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you fer your cooperation. Sincerely Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel at?, THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK. MY. 1000? TELEPHONE ASSISTANT COUNSEL 21117814110 March 2, 1994 Mr. John Doyle Real Estate Board of New York 12 East 4Ist Street New York, N.Y. 10017 RE: Int. 207 Exempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Ekempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 Cbntinuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 217 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 279 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 - Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 227 Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 - Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 - Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 - Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Mr. Doyle: Please be advised that the committee on HOusing and Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday. March 10. 1994 at P.M. in" the gig! Hall, New YQIK, NY,.regarding the above referred topics. Kou are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the.subject matter. If possible, please send Thirty copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you for your cooperation. Sincerely yours, 19?; 'Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel YG/df THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK. NJ. 10007 YVONNE GONZALEZ March 2, 1994 Ms. Jenny Laurie Metropolitan Council on Heusing 102 Fulton Street, Room 302 New York, N.Y. 10038 RE: Int. 207 Exempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 - Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 Continuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 217 Vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 - Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 22? - Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 Rent increases fer rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Ms. Laurie: Please be advised that the committee on Housing and Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday, March 10. 1994 at 12:00 Pp?. in the Chambers. gitz.Hall. 2nd.Floor,.New York. NY, regarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send EWirtz (302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you for your cooperation. Sincerely yours, Amaz? Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant counsel YG/df THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK. N.Y. 10007 YVONNE GONZALEZ ASSISTAM counseu. $1,393: March 2, 1994 Mr. Roger C. Melzer President Small Building Owners Association 156 Prospect Park west Brooklyn, N.Y. 11215 RE: Int. 207 Ekempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 - Continuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 21? vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 227 Rent increases fer rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 - Rent increases fer rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 - Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 - Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Mr. Nelzer: Please be advised that the Committee on Heusing and Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday, March 10, 1994 at 12:00 P.M. in the Coungil ghambersI City Hall? 2nd Floor. New York. NY,.regarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send Thirty (302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you for your cooperation. Sincerely yours, swans.? Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Cbunsel YVONNE GONZALEZ ASSISTANT COUNSEL THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK, N.Y. 10007 March 2, 7994 Ms. Jay Small ANHD 236 West 27th Street, Suite 2 New York, N.Y. 70001 RE: Int. 20? Exempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 - continuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 217 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 22? Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 - Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Ms. Small: Please be advised that the committee on Heusing and.Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday, March 70, 1994 at P.M3 in the City Hall,ngnd Floor, New York. NY,.regarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send Thirty (302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you for your cooperation. Sincerely yours, Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel YG/df TELEPHONE 211-708-7210 . . YVONNE GONZALEZ ASSISTANT COUNSEL 212-713-1210 THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK, MY. 10007 TEL EPHQNE march 2, 1994 Hon. Peter Grannis 1672 First Avenue New York, N.Y. 10028 RE: Int. 20? Exempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 continuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 217 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 227 - Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 - Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 - Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. I Dear Hen. Grannis: Please be advised that the committee on Heusing and Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday, march 10. 1994 at 13:00 P.M. in the Citz?allI 2nd.Floory New York. NY..regarding the above referred topics. Kou are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send Thirty (302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. ?Thank you fer your cooperation. Sincerely yours, guess .Yvonne Gbnzalez Assistant counsel YG/df THE OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK. NY. 10007 COUNSEL March 2, 1994 Olive Karen Stamm, Esq. MFY Legal Service 233 Grand Street New York, N.Y. 10013 RE: Int. 207 Exempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 Cbntinuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 217 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 227 Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear ms. Stamm: Please be advised that the Committee on Housing and Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday. March 10. 1994 at 12:00 P.M. in the QhambersI Citz Hall. 2nd'Floor. New York. NY. regarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testi?y therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem apprOpriate to the subject matter. . If possible, please send Thirty (302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you for your cooperation. Sincerely yours, yea-?ask Yvonne GOnzalez Assistant Counsel THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK. N.Y. 10007 YVONNE GONZALEZ ASSISTANT COUNSEL March 2, 1994 Elizabeth Kane, Esq. west Side SRO Law Project Goodard - Riverside community Center 647 Columbus Avenue New York, N.Y. 10024 RE: Int. 207 Exempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 Cbntinuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 217 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 - Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 227 Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 - Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 - Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Ms. Kane: Please be advised that the Committee on Housing and Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday. March 10, 1994 at in the COuncil Chambers, New York, NY..regarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send Thirty (302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you fer your cooperation. Sincerely yours, vonne Gonzalez Assistant counsel YG/df THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK. N.Y. 10007 YVONNE GONZALEZ ASSISTANT COUNSEL March 2, 1994 Deputy commissioner Elliot Sander Division of Heusing and community Renewal 92~31 Union Hall Street Jamaica, N.Y. 11433 RE: Int. 207 Exempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 continuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 277 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 22? Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Mr. Sander: Please be advised that the.Cbmmittee on Housing and.Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday. March 10, 1994 at_12;00 P.M. in 11 mb .1 Hall. 2nd Floor, New York. NY, regarding the above referred topics. Zou are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send Thirty (302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you fer your cooperation. Sincerely yours, emissa? Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK. N.Y. 1000? ?mm comm 355233? March 2, 7994 Mr. Jeseph Strasburg President Rent Stabilization Association Inc. 1500 Broadway New York, N.Y. 10036 RE: Int. 20? Ekempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 275 Cbntinuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 217 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 227 - Rent increases fer rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 Rent increases fer rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 - Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Joe Please be advised that the committee on Housing and Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday, March 10. 1994 at 1;;00 P.M. in i Hall 2nd.Floor. New York, NY. regarding the above referred topics. Mon are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify ;therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send Thirty (302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you for your cooperation. Sincerely your 3M Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL HALL NEW YORK. N.Y. 10007 YVONNE GONZALEZ ASSISTANT COUNSEL March 2, 1994 Mr. William Rowen New York State Tenant and Neighborhood Coalition 198 Broadway New York, N.Y. 10038 RE: Int. 207 Exempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 Continuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 217 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 - Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 22? - Rent increases fer rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 Rent increases fer rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 145 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Mr. Rowen: Please be advised that the committee on Heusing and Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday, March 10, 1994 at 12:00 P.M. in .rs it Hal 2nd.Eloor. New York, NY).regarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send Thirtz (3Q) copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you for your cooperation. Sincerely urs, .. i a. ?o?gyl Yvonne GOnzalez Assistant Counsel YG/df THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK. N.Y. 10007 YVONNE GONZALEZ ASSISTAM COUNSEL March 2, 1994 Mr. Dan Margulies Community Housing Improvement Program, Inc. 145 west 58th Street New York, N.Y. 10019 RE: Int. 207 - Ekempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 EWempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 continuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 217 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 227 Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 Rent increases fer rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Mr. Margulies: Please be advised that the committee on Reusing and Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday. March 10, 1994 at 12:00 P.M. in the gogngil Citz_?all. 2nd.Floor. New'York. NY;.regarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send Thirty (302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you fer your cooperation. Sincerely Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK. N.Y. 10007 TELEP ON ASSISTANT COUNSEL 21240-2721?) March 2, 1994 Steven Banks, Esq. Legal Aid Society, Room 1807 11 Park Place New York, N.Y. 10007 RE: Int. 207 Exempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 Cbntinuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 21? vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 - Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 227 Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 Rent increases for rent stabilized'dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 - Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Mr. Banks: Please be advised that the Committee on Housing and Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday. March 10, 1994 at il mb Ci Hall 2n Floor New York NY ?regarding the above referred topics. are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send Thirtz (302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you fer your cooperation. Sincerely smu??iise Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel YG/df THE OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL HALL NEW YORK. N.Y. 10007 YELEPHONE ASSISTANT COUNSEL March 2, 1994 Ishmael Lahab, Esq. Harlem Legal Services 144 west 125th Street New YOrk, N.Y. 10027 RE: Int. 207 Exempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 Cbntinuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 217 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 22? Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 Rent increases far rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Mr. Lahab: Please be advised that the committee on Ecusing and Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday. march 10. 1994 at P.M. in the thmbers, gitz.?all? New'YQrk. HY. regarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearixg and testify therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. - If possible, please send Thirtz copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you fer your cooperation. Sincerely urs, Yvonne Gonzalez . Assistant counsel YG/df THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE CITY HALL NEW YORK. N.Y. 1000f YVONNE GONZALEZ ?mum counsEL 53255315 March 2, 1994 Chip Gray, Esq. Broklyn Legal Services corporation 105 Court Street Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201 RE: Int. 207 - Exempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 - Ekempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 - Cbntinuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 21? vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 - Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 227 Rent increases fer rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 - Rent increases fOr rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Mr. Gray: Please be advised that the COmmittee on Heusing and Buildings will hold a hearing on Margh 10I 1924 at in ?t 11 hamb i all 2n Flo I New York NY aregarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send Thirty (3Q1 cepies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. ?mank you fer your cooperation. Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE CITY HALL NEW YORK. N.Y. 10007 YVONNE GONZALEZ ASSISTANT COUNSEL March 2, 1994 Gary Rosenberg, Esq. Rosenberg and Estis 228 East. 45th Street New York, N.Y. 10017 RE: Int. 207 Exempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 continuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 277 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 227 Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 - Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Mr. Rosenberg: Please be advised that the Cbmmittee on Reusing and Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday. March 10, 1994 at P.M, in the gitz HallIE gnQ.Fngr. N?W'Ygrk, NY,.regarding the above referred topics. YOU are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testi?y therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you.deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send ??l?tz (302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you fer your cooperation. Sincerely :Surs, z?3 Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK. N.Y. 10007 YVONNE GONZALEZ ASSISTANT COUNSEL March 2, 1994 Ms. Claudia Wagner Shea and Gould 1251 Avenue of the Americas New YOrk, N.Y. 10020 RE: Int. 207 Exempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 continuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 217 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 227 Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 - Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 145 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Ms. wagner: Please be advised that the Committee on Housing and Buildings will hold a hearing on ThursdayI Margh 10c 122g My; regarding the above referred topics. Mou are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send Thirty (302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you fer your cooperation. Sincerely 23m 152% Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel YG/df THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK. MY. 1000? YVONNE GONZALEZ ASSISYANT COUNSEL March 2, 1994 Mr. Archibald R. MUrray Executive Director and Attorney-in?Chief The Legal Aid Society 11 Park Place, Room 1805 New York, N.Y. 10007 RE: Int. 207 - Exempting from rent-control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 continuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 217 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 - Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 - Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 22? Rent increases fer rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 Rent increases fer rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. i Dear Mr. MUrray: Please be advised that the committee on Reusing and Buildings i will hold a hearing on Thursday, March 10. 1994 at in WM H11 2 Nerk regarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify . . therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your 4: staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send Thirty {302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you fer your cooperation. Sincerely urs, ?grm A??ri Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel YG/df THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YOHK. NY. 10007 YVONNE GONZALEZ ASSISTANT COUNSEL March 2, 1994 Ms. Juliet Nelson Harlem Taxpayer and Property Owners Association 740 St. Nicholas Avenue New Ybrk, N.Y. 10031 RE: Int. 20? Eyempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 - Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 Cbntinuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 217 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 - Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 227 Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 - Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 - Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Ms. Nelson: Please be advised that the committee on Heusing and Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday. March 10, 1994 at 12:00 in the gouncil Chambers, Ci Lg Hall, 2nd Floor. New York. NY. regarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. . If possible, please send Thirty (302 capies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you for your cooperation. Sincerely yours, 3m? sea.? Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK. FLY. 10007 YVONNE GONZALEZ COUNSEL 2553me March 2, 1994 Mr. Andrew Scherer Community Action for Legal Services 335 Broadway New Ybrk, N.Y. 10013 RE: Int. 207 Exempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 continuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 217 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 - Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 227 Rent increases rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Mr. Scherer: Please be advised that the committee on Housing and Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday. March 10. 1994 Hall 2nd.Floor. New York. regarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testi?y therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send Thirty [302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you your cooperation.. Sincerely yours, Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel YG/df THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL HALL NEW YORK, N.Y. 10007 TELEPHONE COUNSEL 212488~Tl10 March 2, 1994 Mr. Bart Goft Queens Housing Network Jackson Heights Tenants council 34?24 82nd Street Jackson Heights, N.Y. 11372 RE: Int. 20? Exempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 continuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 217 - vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 227 - Rent increases fOr rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 Rent increases fer rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 - Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Mr. Goft: Please be advised that the committee on Housing and.Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday. March 10, 1994 at 12:00 P.M. in the Council Chambers, gitz Hall, 2nd Floor. New York. NY..regarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify therein. 'Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send Thirtg [302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you your cooperation. Sincerely yours, was.? Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel YG/df THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNSEL CITY HALL NEW YORK. 10007 YVONNE GONZALEZ ASSISTANT COUNSEL March 2, 1994 Mr. Manuel Rivera Listeners' Action for Homelessness and Housing 601 Seventh Avenue Brooklyn, N.Y. 11215 RE: Int. 207 Exempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 Continuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 217 Vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 22? - Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Mr. Rivera: Please be advised that the Committee on Housing and Buildings will hold a hearing on Hgll, ?ea 19:5. ax. regarding the above referred topics. Kou are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testi?y therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. . If possible, please send zhirtz (QQZ copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these cepies to the hearing. Thank you for your cooperation. Sincerely yours, Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel YG/df YVONNE GONZALEZ ASSISTANT COUNSEL THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK. NY. 10007 March 2, 1994 MS. Lucy Billings Bronx Legal Services 597 Courtlandt Avenue Bronx, N.Y. 10451 RE: Int. 207 - Ewempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 continuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 217 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 227 - Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 - Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 - Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Ms. Billings: Please be advised that the COmmittee on Housing and Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday, March 10. 1994 at Pym, in the g1 tg Hall. 2nd New Ygrk, NY, regarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send Thirty (302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. ?hank you for your cooperation. Sincerely y0urs, Sew- Armage- Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel YG/df TELEPHONE 212-70842?) THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER 0F HIE CITY HALL NEW YORK. MY. 1000? YVONNE GONZALEZ COUNSEL March 2, 1994 Mr. Frank Braconi Research Director Citizens Housing and Planning CDuncil 218 West 40th Street, 12lh floor New York, N.Y. 10018 RE: Int. 207 Mxemptinq from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 ermpting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 275 Continuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 21? Vnonncy deeonlrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 22? Rent increaeen for rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 Rent increases [or rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. I44 - Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 Amending the rent stabilization/Control laws. Dear Mr. Hraconi: Please be advised that the committee on Housing and Buildings will hold a hearing on lhur 1 1 4 a 12:0 in Floor. New York. NY. regarding the above referred topice. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testi?y therein. Pienne feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If poeeible, please send Thiztz copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and ?you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you would bring these copies to the hearing. 'i'hank you to: your czmperation. Sincerely yours, we?y Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel ASSISTANT COUNSEL THE CITY OF NEW YOFIK SPEAKER OFTHE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK. MN. 10007 march 2, 1994 Mr. Jim Garst Mitchell?Lama council 175 East 4th Street New Ybrk, N.Y. 10009 RE: Int. 20? Exempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 - continuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 21? a vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 279 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 227 - Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. 1 Dear Mr. Garst: Please be advised that the Committee on Reusing and Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday, March 10. 1994 at 13:00 P.M. in the i1 hambers Ci Hall 2n Flo rk NY .regarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send ghirtz (302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you for your cooperation. Sincerely EEurs, ?Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Cbunsel YG/df TELEPHONE 212-788-721 0 THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY NEW YORK. N.Y. 10007 ASSISTANT COUNSEL March 2, 1994 Mr. Chris Meyer Local 60vernment coordinator 9 Murray Street New York, N.Y. 10007 RE: Int. 207 Exempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Ekempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 continuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 217 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 227 Rent increases fer rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Mr. Meyer: Please be advised that the Committee on Housing and.Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday. March 10. 1994 at 12:00 P.M. in the gaungil Qitg.Hgll, 2nd Floor..New Yerk, NY. regarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send ghirtz [391 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you for your cooperation. Sincerely yours, BMW @398 Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Cbunsel THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY NEW YORK. N.Y. 10007 YVONNE GONZALEZ {$532315 March 2, 1994 Mr. Joel Sesser The Partnership for the Homeless, Inc. 115 west 31st Street, 4th floor New York, N.Y. 10001 RE: Int. 20? Exempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 continuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 27? vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 - Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 227 Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 - Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Mr. Sesser: Please be advised that the committee on HDusing and Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday, march 10. 1994 at 1g;00 P.M. in amb rs Ci 11 2nd.Floor; New York, NY, regarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send Thirty (302 capies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you fOr your cooperation. Sincerely yours, sou?Asst Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel YG/df THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK. N.Y. 10007 YVONNE GONZALEZ ASSISYANT COUNSEL March 2, 1994 Harley Brooke?Hitching Private Sector Low Income Housing c/o Eguities LTD Co. Hellgate Station, Box 985 New YOrk, N.Y. 10029 RE: Int. 207 Ekempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 continuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 277 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 22? Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 - Rent increases fer rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Mr. Brookew?itching: Please be advised that the Cbmmittee on Heusing and Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday. march 10. 1994 at 12:00 P.M. in the Qitz.Hall, ?ew York? NY, regarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send Thirty (30: copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you for your cooperation. Sincerely yours, 3m? ?oss Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK. N.Y. 10007 TELEPHONE ASSISTANT COUNSEL 11 1700-7110 March 2, 1994 Mr. John Broderick COmmunity Training Resource center 49 Anne Street, 6th floor New York, N.Y. 10038 RE: Int. 207 Ekempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Ekempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 Continuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 217 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 227 Rent increases rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 - Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Mr. Broderick: Please be advised that the COmmittee on Housing and Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday. March 10. 1994 at 12:00 P.ML in the Chambers, git! Hall, 2nd Floor. New York. NY, regarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send Thirty (302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you for your c00peration. Sincerely yours, were Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK. NY. 10007 YVONNE GONZALEZ mm." mum 13.535315 March 2, 1994 Mr. Luis Sierra community Service Society 105 East 22nd Street New York, N.Y. 10010 RE: Int. 207 Exempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 Cbntinuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 217 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 227 - Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 - Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 - Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Mr. Sierra: Please be advised that the committee on Housing and Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday, March 10, 1994 at 12:00 P.M. in i1 mb rs Ci Hall 2nd F1 or New)! rk NY regarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testi?y therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send Thirty (302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you fer your cooperation. Sincerely yours, games)? Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK, N.Y. 10007 YVONNE GONZALEZ ASSISTANT COUNSEL March 2, 1994 Ms. Natalie Strepoli 2469 East 22nd Street Brooklyn, N.Y. 11235 RE: Int. 20? Exempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 - continuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 217 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 227 Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 - Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Dear Ms. Stropoli: Please be advised that the committee on Housing and Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday, March 10, 1994 at_1g:00 P.M. in i HallI 2nd Elggr, Neg york. NY, regarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testi?y 1 therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send Thirty [302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you for your cooperation. Sincerely yours, kw?a??a -Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel YG/df THE CITY OF NEW YORK SPEAKER OF THE COUNCIL CITY HALL NEW YORK. N.Y. 10007 YVONNE GONZALEZ TELEPHONE ASSISTANT COUNSEL 212-700-7210 March 4, 1994 Mr. Timothy Cbllins Executive Director Rent Guide Lines Board 51 Chambers Street, Room 202 New York, N.Y. 70007 RE: Int. 207 Exempting from rent control/stabilization laws. Int. 208 Exempting housing from rent/rehabilitation law. Int. 215 continuing the stabilization of rents. Int. 217 vacancy decontrol of housing with $900 rent. Int. 219 Eliminating rent regulation protections. Int. 220 Amending the rent stabilization/control laws. Int. 227 - Rent increases for rent stabilized dwelling units. Int. 228 Rent increases fOr rent stabilized dwelling units. Res. 144 Public emergency requiring rent control. Res. 146 Shield lowwincome households from rent increases. Dear Mr. Cbllins: Please be advised that the Committee on Housing and Buildings will hold a hearing on Thursday. March 10. 1994 at 12:00 P.M. in the chambers. gitz Hall. 2nd Floor. New York; NY. regarding the above referred topics. You are hereby invited to attend this hearing and testify therein. Please feel free to bring with you such members of your staff you deem appropriate to the subject matter. If possible, please send Thirty (302 copies of your written testimony to my office prior to the hearing date. If this is not feasible and you plan to participate, it would be greatly appreciated if you could bring these copies to the hearing. Thank you your cooperation. Sincerely yours, $9592:- Yvonne Gonzalez Assistant Counsel YG/df