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As a result of Local Law 69 of 2017, apartment building owners are required to file bedbug infestation and treatment reports with HPD annually. Owners must file between Dec. 1 and Dec. 31 for the previous year from November 2019 through November 2020.
The Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) recently announced an increase in this year’s air conditioner rent surcharge for owners who pay for electricity. It set the monthly surcharge at $25.31, up $0.37 from $24.94 last year. This year’s increase reflects a 1.48 percent increase in the price of electricity for electrical inclusion buildings as calculated by the Rent Guidelines Board’s 2020 Price Index of Operating Costs issued in April 2020.
The 2020–2021 “heat season” begins on Oct. 1 and continues through May 31, 2021. As heat season begins and colder weather is around the corner, owners must be aware of the temperature requirements for all apartments. HPD responds to all heat and hot water complaints and, if adequate heat and hot water conditions are not corrected, HPD will impose penalties and may contract with private companies under the Emergency Repair Program to restore services to residents.
The NYC Benchmarking Law, Local Law 84 of 2009 as amended by Local Law 133 of 2016, requires owners of large buildings to measure their energy and water consumption annually in a process called benchmarking. The law standardizes this process by requiring building owners to enter their annual energy and water use in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) online tool, ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, and use the tool to submit data to the city.
On Sept. 13, 2019, the DOB adopted a new Section 103-10 to Title 1 of the Rules of New York City, regarding the periodic inspection of gas piping systems. This was the culmination of a three-year long process to give effect to Local Law 152 of 2016, which requires periodic inspections of “building gas piping systems.”
Local Law 152 requires that all buildings with gas piping, except R-3 occupancy buildings (which are mostly one- and two-family dwellings), have their gas piping system inspected at certain intervals by a licensed master plumber (LMP).
The DHCR is currently administering a COVID Rent Relief Program that will provide eligible households with a one-time rental subsidy that will be sent directly to the owner. Applicants won’t need to repay this assistance. Applications will be accepted from July 16 through July 30.
If you’ve received a summons regarding a notice of violation from any city agency, you must follow certain procedures to respond. NYC’s Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings/Environmental Control Board (OATH) is the administrative tribunal that conducts hearings on notices of violation issued by city agencies. It’s responsible for summonses formerly heard by the Environmental Control Board (ECB).
The RGB freezes one-year renewal rents and sets a partial freeze for two-year renewals.
On June 17, in a 6 to 3 vote, the city’s Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) decided to freeze rents for rent-stabilized tenants with one-year leases. For two-year renewal leases, a 1 percent increase is allowed during the second year.
The freeze is the third one during Mayor de Blasio’s tenure. The first two occurred in 2015 and 2016 for one-year leases. This last vote was the first time the board approved a freeze for any portion of two-year leases.
On June 22, New York City entered Phase 2 of Governor Cuomo’s phased approach to reopen industries and businesses in New York State. As part of Phase 2, real estate and rental-leasing industries are allowed to reopen their workplaces. This means brokerages, property managers, and development firms are allowed to conduct limited in-person operations as long as certain guidelines are followed.
You must file an Annual Apartment Registration application with the DHCR for every rent-stabilized apartment you own by July 31, 2020, using the DHCR’s online Owner Rent Regulation Application system. As in past years, the penalty for not filing is stiff: You can’t collect a rent increase—or even apply for one—until you file.
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