New Yorkers in the city’s one million rent-stabilized apartments can expect rent hikes on their monthly payments — as the Rent Guideline Board approved increases on Tuesday night at the same rate it did last year.
The Board approved increases of 1.5% on one-year leases and 2.5% on two-year agreements, angering hundreds of tenants who attended the meeting at Cooper Union in the East Village.
The nine-member board, which is appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio, approved the hikes by a vote of 5-4.
Board members drew jeers from the crowd, who chanted, “Shame on you! Shame on you!”
The board’s decision was met with derision from both tenant and landlord groups — who argued the increases were too steep and not steep enough.
“We haven’t been able to expect anything from this administration. The mayor clearly calls the shots. It’s politics that’s running this board and these numbers have been kept historically low,” said Vito Signorile, a spokesman for the Rent Stabilization Association, which represents 25,000 landlords.
“Not including tonight, one-year increases have averaged 3.75% while operating costs have gone up 21.5%. It’s impossible for owners to invest back into their buildings when their property taxes are going up on average 7% every year,” he added.
“I’m disappointed! They’re cowards! The tenants of New York deserve a break,” tenant Ann Marie Grant, 54, of Manhattan, told The Post. “We’re taking numbers and names. We will make sure the world knows what they did. They sold us out. Rent is skyrocketing. Rent increases lead to evictions,” she added.
Additional reporting by Ben Feuerherd