Relates to notice of applications for major capital improvement rent increases

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Robert Jackson says this is needed

When a landlord files an application for a major capital improvement rent increase, DHCR is required to provide tenants with a notice inform- ing them of the application. Tenants have sixty days from the date of mailing to answer or reply. This window gives tenants an important opportunity to challenge a landlord's claims that the work warrants a rent increase. However, many tenants who receive this notice may not realize that they have the right to respond to a landlord's application. Further, they may not be aware that there are organizations who can help them file such a response. This lack of awareness makes it more diffi- cult for tenants to organize around their objections, which exacerbates a dynamic that is unbalanced in the favor of landlords and increases the likelihood that tenants will be subjected to an inappropriate rent increase. This bill will ensure that tenants are aware of their right to respond and seek legal counsel by including a statement providing this information on the first page of the notice that a tenant receives when their landlord files an application for an MCI rent increase.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.