The city's Rent Guidelines Board began its series of annual circus appearances meetings last night, an opportunity for the nine-member board to experience a few hours of tenant heckling before voting in rent increases for rent-stabilized apartments. As is becoming usual, tenants and their advocates argued that the economy is still not strong enough to justify rent hikes. Landlords claimed their costs are going up too much to be covered by current rents. Good to know everyone's still on the same page! The board ultimately proposed raising rents 3 to 5.75 percent for one-year leases and 6 to 9 percent for two-year leases. And this despite one tenant's musical plea and another four tenant activists who were arrested for chaining themselves to the doors of Cooper Union, the Rent Guidelines Board's meeting spot.
To deal with rising oil costs, the board also made a preliminary vote to add a temporary 1 percent fuel surcharge to rents. According to the Post, it's the first such surcharge in 30 years. Of course, the board still has to get through two more public hearings before the June 27 vote.
· Tenants in rent-stabilized buildings may get stuck with fuel pass-along [NYP]
· Rent Guidelines Board Approves Preliminary Range of Rent Hikes [NY1]
· Crowd Jeers as Board Proposes Steep Rent Hikes [DNAinfo]
· Rent Guidelines Board coverage [Curbed]
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