Problem With RC Tenant
I own a house with a rent control tenant, yes I know, who thinks he can do whatever he wishes and does this…among other things! After discovering that he hands out, and has been handing out for years, front door keys to whomever he likes so he does not have to come down the one…
I own a house with a rent control tenant, yes I know, who thinks he can do whatever he wishes and does this…among other things! After discovering that he hands out, and has been handing out for years, front door keys to whomever he likes so he does not have to come down the one flight to let his people in. I changed the front door lock. You know, the lock with keys where you need a card that authorizes you to make a copy. I gave him two keys as required by law, thinking at least that not everyone had keys to my house. So now he puts one key in the mailbox and hands out copies of the mailbox key to who knows. After informing him about jeopardizing the security of the building, etc, etc, I was told “F†you! Not my problem! While I try to figure out how and who can help me get these people out of my house, can anyone suggest a way for me to short circuit this S.O.B. and protect my wife and kids and MY property from strangers in the hall.
Side note; Any housing lawyer recommendations would be appreciated as well. I have evidence, pictures and recordings as backup. Yes, its bad.
Thanks!
Vinca- its pretty obvious you meant that first comment personally. You addressed it to me. I didn’t miss your point- but you seem to miss the legitimacy of the OP’s anxiety.
rob- its a free and public blog. I’m allowed to comment on another’s post. I did respond without insulting you or putting you down OR speaking for you. If you can’t handle that, you have a problem, not me.
trust me I will never bring up your name or respond to you again. It’s so not worth it. In the meantime- grow up.
Bxgrl: I’m not responsible for the things you take personally, and you won’t have the pleasure of sucking me into that debate. RC-tenant is not responsible for the things OP takes personally. You seemed to have entirely missed my suggestion to OP for securing his building. OP needs to separate the business of being an owner/landlord from his personal likes and dislikes. Is that so hard to understand? Not really. Is that so hard to implement? For many people, especially small landlords, yes it is. I wrote too quickly when I wrote about roommates and variances depending on regulated or unregulated status. The variance relates to amounts that can be charged for *sublets*; roommate situation depends on an entirely different set of factors.
“So now he puts one key in the mailbox and hands out copies of the mailbox key to who knows.”
You gotta love this guy.
“Have a buzzer installed”
Best solution. If not, use the full extent of the law. What an asshole. I don’t know if I even want tenants anymore. I might go single-fam. If you can hack the loss of rental income in the long term, maybe you apply for a C of O to combine his unit with yours. Get him out.
***Bid half off peak comps***
bxgirl, lov ya and all, but please dont talk on behalf of me or bring up my name in threads. there’s no point. and i wasnt putting down the original poster for asking for help. i made a point about a phenonemon where people these days dont take matters into their own hands and instead whine about it on the internets. big difference! this unsavory tenant he doesnt like could easily be ousted. just like the law is on the tenants side, the law is also on other peoples side for the most part to take things into their own hands. remember, it’s nyc.. brooklyn in particular. not mayberry. people need to grow a pair.
*rob*
talknerytome- I can only tell you what I was told the law was. Even though it is a roommate, the tenant is making a profit, and if the person she is renting to is not on the lease, he is not legal, if it is not a family member. It’s not an issue of residence, its a matter of who is entitled to make a profit from their property and that is the landlord’s right, not a tenant’s. That’s the explanation I was given.
“How is renting out a room for $575 in a $375 rent-stabilized apartment illegal? The tenant is still living in the apartment, so it’s not a non-primary residence claim; and she’s not subletting, since she’s still in the apartment, so she isn’t subletting in excess of the legal rent.
Posted by: talknerdytome at April 3, 2009 11:12 AM
Rent Controlled and Rent Stabilized have some widely differing regulations.
Also, if the legal rent is $375 and she is “subletting” for $575, it is in excess of the legal rent.
Someone said it above, I believe the RC rule is “tenant on the lease can’t profit from sharing the unit”. Sound like this RC tenant is making a $200 profit…
vinca-for what its worth you don’t seem to read and you totally missed my point to rob. He was putting down the OP for asking for help. You should try to up your reading comprehension before you post. You’re giving me “advice” on something I neither said, nor implied. My advice to you- skip my posts- its a free country.
For another, I asked the question about the tenant and OP’s space because I didn’t see where the OP made it clear. Excuse me for trying to get a clearer picture but you seem to have issues yourself. Such as assuming I am saying a landlord can set curfews or anything else. It just so happens that I do know something about these things and there are still certain no-nos even a rent controlled tenant can’t do.
Taking the OP to task for worrying about building security- a building he pays for and lives in, makes me wonder what the hell you are thinking. OP has every right to deal with this and protect his property and family. Unless you think buying a building with an rc tenant means you should just put up and shut up. Why you have a problem with this simple fact I don’t know. But you seem to have a problem, period.
How is renting out a room for $575 in a $375 rent-stabilized apartment illegal? The tenant is still living in the apartment, so it’s not a non-primary residence claim; and she’s not subletting, since she’s still in the apartment, so she isn’t subletting in excess of the legal rent.