HPD Announces Historically Low Rental Vacancy Rate

On February 8, 2024, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development announced the initial results of the latest New York City Housing and Vacancy Survey (NYCHVS). The survey is the official source of the net rental vacancy rate which is used to show the ongoing need for rent control and rent stabilization. The survey is run approximately every three years and done in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau since 1965. It is the longest-running <Read More>


Landlord loses eviction action

Landlord sued to evict tenants from six-unit building in order to provide apartment for son. Shlomo Karpen owns a six-unit, rent-stabilized building in Brooklyn comprised of two rented units on the first, second and third floors. In June 2018, Karpen notified the tenants in the rented apartments that he would not renew their leases and intended to take over the apartments to make a four-bedroom apartment for his son. In October 2018, Karpen commenced an … <Read More>


Landlord Loses Eviction Motion

Taiwanese man on student visa sought succession rights in rent-stabilized apartment after his partner’s untimely death. Ta-Wei Yu, a Taiwanese citizen, has resided in New York City since being admitted to the United States in 2005 on a still-valid F-1 student visa. While pursuing his doctorate in music, Yu entered into a committed romantic relationship with a native New Yorker. In 2012 Yu moved into his partner’s rent-stabilized apartment. His partner died suddenly in 2015, … <Read More>


CityLand’s Top Ten Stories of 2019

Welcome to CityLand‘s eighth annual top ten stories of the year! We have selected a range of our most popular and prominent stories concerning New York City land use in 2019. Our 2019 coverage was highlighted by articles concerning land use approvals for large scale projects, affordable housing proposals, and projects that faced pushback from local communities who were concerned about infrastructure, access to transportation and local resources, and affordable housing. We at CityLand <Read More>


Attorney General James Partners with City and State Agencies to Prevent Evictions of Rent-Stabilized Tenants in East Village

Government officials fear bad precedent could make it easier for landlords to bypass rent stabilization laws. On March 13, 2019, New York Attorney General Letitia James, the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (NYSHCR) and the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) announced that the State and City moved to join in an action in United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York as part … <Read More>


Tenant Wins New Lower Base Rent

State used sampling method to set new base rent for studio improperly deregulated under luxury decontrol. The owner of a rental building at 160 East 84th Street, Manhattan, took advantage of the luxury decontrol provisions of the Rent Stabilization Law to deregulate a studio apartment. Subsequently, the New York Court of Appeals ruled that buildings like 160 East 84th Street were ineligible to take advantage of luxury decontrol because the building was also … <Read More>