Rents Set to Almost Double at ENY Mitchell-Lama
Many tenants at an East New York housing complex have been evicted or forced to move because their rents have gone through the roof, reports the Daily News. Rents at Linden Plaza, a five-building Mitchell-Lama development with 319 residential units, have gone up by $300 so far in the past year or so, and will…
Many tenants at an East New York housing complex have been evicted or forced to move because their rents have gone through the roof, reports the Daily News. Rents at Linden Plaza, a five-building Mitchell-Lama development with 319 residential units, have gone up by $300 so far in the past year or so, and will increase again next year so that the price for a one-bedroom will have gone from $664 to $1,132. The increases are paying for a capital improvements program at the complex. Some of the disgruntled tenants were counting on Section 8 vouchers to cover the increase but claim that bureaucratic delays thwarted them. Bob Vaccarello, president of RY Management, which oversees Linden Plaza, said that “anybody who was eligible did get a voucher,” adding that some tenants simply missed deadlines or failed to provide enough information. A city spokesman said that the rents are lower than what residents would pay if the owners left the Mitchell-Lama subsidy program, but this is a cold comfort to some. The Daily News spoke with tenant Carol Thompson, 53, who lost her job last year and has received no word regarding her voucher application. She has borrowed money from relatives to make rent, but doesn’t know what to do in the long term. “I just can’t afford it,” she said. “They’re sucking people dry.” GMAP P*Shark
Rent Hike Shocks Tenants [NY Daily News]
Image from PropertyShark
I hope anyone who is thinking about voting New York’s Emporer Bloomberg back into office remembers his callous treatment of the middleclass. Koch permitted the real estate interests to have their way in the 70’s and Bloomberg has permitted the same thing during his reign.
I always find these threads amusing. So many people claim to care for the poor, working class, etc. and pontificate about what landlords and property owners should do, but these same people, many of whom own property themselves, surely rent units in their buildings at the market rate and would never accept a section 8 voucher. Do as I say and not…
that rent hike would mean that someone would be paying the same rent for a 1bdr in East New York that I paid 2 years ago for a 1bdr two blocks from Columbia.
also, it is absolutely outrageous that at a time when rents are going down around the city, affordable middle-class housing is still disappearing.
Section 8 is a Federal program, so HUD is in charge. I just googled HUD fraud, and there is an e-mail address: hotline@hudoig.gov. They are in charge of investigating tenant and owner fraud.
Mr B, can you fix the typo in the title (Hason) to make sure this article is searchable later on? thanks.
“Actually I would like to see some serious auditing of the books, to answer whether they are abusing the Section 8 scheme.”
Just out of curiosity who would do this? The comptroller’s office?
Actually I would like to see some serious auditing of the books, to answer whether they are abusing the Section 8 scheme.
“NO offense to ENY but you can live in a much nicer neighborhood for $1,132 for a one-bedroom.”
No offense taken. I’d agree. That’s too much money for this location. But does give you an idea of how competitive the NY real estate market is. I’d bet that regardless of the inflated rents, they will find some folks who pay this price, particularly if capital improvements are made.
FYI, this place is only a few blocks from “The Hole” neighborhood profiled earlier this week.
What a mess – there needs to be a moratorium on rent hikes until everyone has had a chance to apply for section 8 (now that they have people’s attention..)