Landlord Worth $1 Billion Exploits Coronavirus Panic To Jack Up Rent 25 Percent

The lease is up at the end of May...Landlord tells them the rent will increase. Sounds normal and reasonable. Some people just have to feel victimized.

Gross fucking story. Evil.

I just received a letter from my property management. They said that rent is in fact due on the 1st - that the signed lease is essentially a guarantee that all tenants must pay rent on time and in full. People will get evicted if they can't provide proof that they a) have corona b) are taking care of someone with corona or c) have proof that they lost their jobs.

And this only resorts in a payment plan effective immediately.

I hate the rich so fucking much. They can't even wait for the fucking stimulus checks.

Oh shut the fuck up, R1. You're probably some incel who lives in his mother's basement, what do you know on this topic?

[quote] "We have high demand for medical personal [sic] coming to NYC with Javits center turning into a hospital," the president of the luxury real estate company wrote to the couple, referencing his building's proximity to the new makeshift hospital

So...Hudson Yards = The Related Company (ie: deplorable Stephen Ross)

You know,I never really got the whole French and Russian revolution thing about killing the rich until the last few years as Ive watched the rich in this country fucking everyone over that they can . Roll out the guillotines !

I have gotten 3 'helpful' emails from my property management company in the past week and a half being clear that rent is due on the first.

one reminded us to prioritize rent in our expenses, one sent a way to pay online (reiterating priority) and today they suggested we buy stamps and envelopes as the office itself is closed.

they requested if we mail that we seal with glue not licking the envelope and reminding us that the employees there are also dealing with uncertain finances and stresses so to be nice if we interact. and, pay the rent.

I am incredibly fortunate in that I can pay the rent. on the other hand, I have lived here 16 years and resent the tone of the emails they are sending their tenants.

I wonder if it the Kushner's? Billionaire landlords.

R6 I don't blame you for resenting the tone of the emails. I would feel the same way.

after all this is done, if I live through it, I will email the property owner and discuss the management company with him. he's a goofus who would NEVER condone that. although I am also now scared he'll die from it and they'll double my rent. hmm.

Here is "flyoverland," the local news is reporting several landlords who are forgiving next month's rent for those who have been laid off. But the, New York is the only place to "live." Riiiiight.

NYC is filled with a bunch of greedy real estate people. This doesn't surprise me one bit. Glad I live down south, in the south east, on the coast.

I'm sorry for anyone who have asshole landlords. Especially in NYC.

Luckily, the entirety of NYC are not greedy landlords trying to screw tenants, though this clearly is happening in places. But there are also measures in place to protect tenants from some of these things, including protection from eviction. So don't be too smug, you flyover fuck, R10.

Your rent must have gone up, R12. Thoughts and prayers.

Where I live there is a law that when a lease is renewed (vs. a new lease being started) the rent can only increase by a maximum of 5%. I assumed this was common... is it not the case in NY?

If they need the space for sick people then she is a cunt for complaining.

I want a name.

What kind of remote job in a bookstore on the opposite side of the country can you have? Most bookstores are barely hanging on by a thread, so I'm having a hard time imagining what kind of remote job you could have for one.

When our state and city implemented no eviction rules for non-payment of rent related to coronavirus issues, I emailed all of my tenants with the language of the orders and told them to reach out to me if they think they will have any issues making April rent so we can work something out between them and their landlord/property owner. Fortunately I've only had a few tell me they might not make rent, but have had a lot of emails thanking me for being pro-active and bringing it to their attention.

$4000 a month for some shit one bedroom in Hell's Kitchen. Only in New York, kids!

No, actually, R13, I'm one of those people with rent control who are protected. So fuck you very much. Worry about yourself--no one's getting off easy from this, bitch.

Organize a rent strike in the building. They can’t get all the tenants out, can they?

They're not saying that, R15.

I'm finding it hard to feel sympathy for people that [italic]can[/italic] afford $3200 a month.

R22 "Afford" is a loaded term here. In general you will read that housing should be less than 30% your pay, so somebody who can afford it using that rule would be making almost $128,000/yr or more. But people in NYC often spend much more than that because real estate is so expensive. I found an article from 2016 that said the average household spends 60-65% on rent (maybe questionable but that's besides the point). Somebody who can afford it using 65% as a baseline makes less than $60,000/yr which doesn't get you that far in NYC. Of course it's all relative and there are tons of people in the city who would be happy to make that much.

One thing that I don't understand in the article is who will be paying for these apartments. It implies that the new doctors coming to NYC will sign the leases. But they are supposed to be temporary support, so will they be looking for the same type of housing that a permanent resident would? Or are the landlords trying to squeeze money from hospital systems that might be paying for relocations to attract the new help?

It's despicable either way to pressure their current tenants out during a pandemic. If they're doing it to replace them with an unsustainable source of income—short term tenants or stipends from businesses—then it's both despicable and stupid.

As the end of the month draws near, I think another factor to consider is that many landlords around the country are terrified their governors are going to freeze rent for three months or so. Best to scare people into paying up before that happens.

[quote]$4000 a month for some shit one bedroom in Hell's Kitchen. Only in New York, kids!

New York doesn't even have the most expensive rent in America.

And how do you know it's a "shit one-bedroom in Hell's Kitchen," R18? Hell's Kitchen has a lot of great apartment buildings some with backyards in first-floor apartments, etc. There are also plenty of luxury buildings in HK. Assumptions reveal ignorance.

Shithole or not, the fact that $4,000 for a one bedroom is the new norm is ridiculous.

Not all one-bedrooms in NYC are $4,000, first of all. Second, yes, San Francisco is even more expensive. And London is equal or worse. NYC is not some outlier.

I spend that on Door Dash.

[quote] NYC is filled with a bunch of greedy real estate people.

Fortunately for them, NYC has a lot of people who are okay with paying rent at a level that no rational person in most of the country would pay. It’s a good match.

Luckily, all these people who are aghast at what NYC costs rent don't live here. Why they're chiming in I don't know.

Please provide names of people involved so i can have them killed.

[quote] It implies that the new doctors coming to NYC will sign the leases.

No new doctors are likely coming to NYC and the sick won't be kept in apartments. Thousands of providers have volunteered but they all already live in and around NYC.

Why isn't this company named and shamed? They want to keep it private until they sort out their legal options?

Why wait? I don't understand the reasoning for that.

The 'demand' is temporary and is no reason to hike rents 25%.

landlords and property owners are the ultimate grifter's in nyc, r24.

uh.. your potus is a realtor, from queens county, NYC. the son in law is too. scum.

Did they make a counteroffer?

I still can't fathom what your job is working remotely for a bookstore in SF from NYC.

Uh, Dump is not a "realtor," R37. He doesn't go around showing apartments. He owns buildings that he bought on bad credit and owes on.

Might have moved from SF for a partner’s job.

If the lady’s hunch in the above article is correct, and the landlord will most likely not only continue to rent-gouge his tenants but seek financial relief from the government, then he’s a greedy, unscrupulous bastard who has done all kinds of nefarious shit in the past.

I’d say it’s time for a fishing expedition.

Financial, compliance, and other unlawful misdeeds will he found and he can not only be fined but possibly incarcerated.

r28. and if they do not get their asking rent, the apt goes unrented until they do get it. is that a market rate?

R39 - social media? Website and inventory management? Can't pay too much - how many bookstores are swimming in money?

Right on R42.

If anything, there should be enough online posts and reviews about this company that will dissuade people from renting their properties in the future.

Depending on the neighborhood, that can be the market rate, R43.

People's true characters always come into focus in a situation like this, as we can see in Trump's ogrish eagerness to force the public into a mass dieoff.

Honestly, the landlord is probably Hasid. A lot of them are. Last year, a few got sued by the city for posting rent-stabilized apts on airbnb.

R46, "dieoff" is exactly the term.

Owner of an abandoned HOSPITAL is letting people die because the city won't pay him $1 million a month

[quote] If they need the space for sick people then she is a cunt for complaining.

Reading comprehension really isn’t your forte, is it?

R2 "The [rich] can't even wait for the stimulus checks " . There is one thing in this scary and uncertain time that I am absolutely sure of. When this is all over, or at least settles down a bit , the wealthiest (with the exception of a few decent philanthropists ) will be the loudest whiners of all . Be prepared for nonstop wailing from rich CEO's about how the "job creators " shouldn't be punished with higher taxes just to support the ungrateful plebeians who probably could have kept working if they had really wanted a job, blah blah blah.

[quote][R39] - social media? Website and inventory management? Can't pay too much - how many bookstores are swimming in money?

Those are possibilities for a remote job. Some employers in a recent years will allow employees to work remotely if the employees agree to provide their computer, other tech supplies, and Internet service. It's done as a money saving for the employers.

I am looking for one of those positions, r52. in vain.

I don’t automatically assume the landlord is in the wrong, bits landlords in NYC do seem to lean towards the sleazy side. Maybe the rules and laws favor the tenants, so only dirtbag landlords can achieve the returns necessary to justify high property prices. Everybody always hates the landlord. But I kinda feel for the owner of a rent controlled one-bedroom apartment a 97 year-old has occupied for 50 years when they all of a sudden get notice that a grandchild has taken up residence. A 40 year-old grandchild with a house in the suburbs who doesn’t seem to be around a lot. I suspect for every awful landlord story, there is an awful tenant sorry.

However, this seems like a particularly egregious case. I doubt the landlord is in inundated with requests for apartments. The landlord simply knows that it will be virtually impossible for tenants to find new apartments and arrange moves, much less come up with the extra upfront money moving requires or pass credit checks if they are temporarily unemployed. This is WORSE than simply seeking the highest possible rent from the highest bidder.

I’d stop paying completely.

This morning a friend sent me a picture of what was supposed to be a handout from the Henry Ford medical system about protocols for triage involving taking dying people off ventilators. I thought it was a hoax or somebody's satirical allusion to the real Henry Ford's enthusiasm for eugenics, but it turns out to be real. I'm not saying triage isn't an ethical method of handling mass medical emergencies--I'm just wondering at the mentality of a person who would actually print up something this heartless.

[quote]NYC is filled with a bunch of greedy real estate people.

Just go ahead and call then Jews, you know you want to.

R55 - wow. They did not need to circulate that now - totally unnecessary and makes the environment worse. Tone deaf.

[quote]Where I live there is a law that when a lease is renewed (vs. a new lease being started) the rent can only increase by a maximum of 5%. I assumed this was common... is it not the case in NY?

NYC used to have those protections in place until Bloomberg decimated tenants' rights. Now, you are only protected if you are rent controlled or rent stabilized. Landlords can raise your rent to whatever they want and can even refuse to renew your lease. I had hopes that De Blasio would restore tenant's rights but, so far, he hasn't done much.

[quote] the owner of a rent controlled one-bedroom apartment a 97 year-old has occupied for 50 years when they all of a sudden get notice that a grandchild has taken up residence. A 40 year-old grandchild with a house in the suburbs who doesn’t seem to be around a lot.

Forgive my ignorance, but they allow this? I was always under the impression once the tenant whose apartment is rent-controlled leaves (one way or the other) that apartment becomes just like any other apartment in the building.

You're right, R59. It doesn't get passed down for generations.

R59 - they used to be passed down, not sure if it changed. All you had to do was establish residency (receive your mail and live there for some period of time) for 2 years prior to the rent-controlled occupant's passing.

That's the basis of how Monica could get that apartment on Friends. Thousands of people have 'inherited' rent-controlled apartments in the past.

It's not like it's the only place they could choose to live. Move out of these impossibly expensive concrete jungles if you don't want to keep getting screwed over. NYC sucks.

NYC doesn't suck, R62, but you ARE a simpleton. You don't want to live here? Great! One less dumb cunt.

NYC is nice and all, but having a second home outside the city is preferable.

Landlord probably is Orthodox--no doubt about it!

Tweet thread and Tasteful Friends photos about the villain of R49

Unless it’s changed recently, there is a process that allows children and grandchildren succession rights of they live in the apartment for a year or two before the tenant dies and they spend a certain number of days per year there. Even then there are exceptions for school and military service.

It may have changed, though. Maybe someone knowledgeable about landlord tenant law will chime in.

How are they supposed to move while they are in lockdown, R62? Real estate agents are not showing properties in the greater NYC area.

R67, you can still inherit a rent-controlled apartment, if you are so lucky, but only 2% of all NYC apartments are under rent control.

isn't that how Monica got her giant apt on Friends?

the problem with rent controlled apartments are that, although they are cheap, the buildings are neglected by their owners. The buildings always look like projects inside

Average salary for a single person in NYC is around $51, 000; for a couple around $59,000. Even if you pad those numbers to around 60/70,000 dollars a year, I don't see how people afford rent and food.

R72 - how can a couple's income be $59K and an individual $51K? That doesn't add up.

NY'ers spend a large % of their income in rent. It doesn't make short or long term sense, but some stay because of family or because they don't think they can find a similar paying job somewhere else.

And there's a large percentage that believe they live in the best city in the world - despite that they can't afford to do a lot. It's a deep sense of delusion that is reinforced constantly. They're addicted to the energy of the city, which is unique and seductive.

And where do you live, R73?

grifters gonna grift. the landlord will the raise the rent and if he does not get his price, he will ask his banks and the feds to bail him out due to quote hardship unquote.

New Yorkers can look forward to a rise in everything as the virus will have a huge financial consequence. The lifeblood of much of the income, tourists, will be very slow to return, since the city has become synonymous with the epicenter of coronavirus. The lost income will have to result in higher taxes and prices, as rents and the cost of goods raised. The revenue will return, but it will be very slow to do so.

[quote] They're addicted to the energy of the city, which is unique and seductive.

This is very true, particularly when it comes to Manattan. If you work or live in Manhattan, and you like doing so, you are unlikely to be as happy anywhere else because there is no feeling like the rush that you get when come up from the subway onto the streets of Manhattan. It is just not available anywhere else on this country.

R76, most New Yorkers would be happy to see no return of the tourists. We don't ask for tourists; they're foisted on us. And as soon as this is over, the hayseeds will be back in full force. The empty streets are actually beautiful. Your doomsday scenario will be worldwide, not just in NYC.

Neither R76 nor R78 understand economics very well (at all)

R76, if the NYC economy tanks due to a lack or tourism, rents go DOWN, not up.

But not by enough to offset the other very negative effects, R78. Rent going down slightly isn’t much help when you are unemployed.

R79, I said nothing about the very negative effects beyond my statement that tourism is unwelcome in NYC in the sheer numbers it's experienced. So don't try to score points off me. R79--yet anther DL twit who thinks she's a fucking expert.

I do think this will force a huge portion of the waiter/bartender/hourly kids (under 30) out of the city. Most were barely getting by and paying the rent. Now I don’t see how they do. If economics has any validity anymore - which I’m skeptical - the decreased demand and lower incomes should let air out of rental prices.

There was already a little softening in prices compared to a year or two ago. A 1BR that had gone for $3,250 in my building rented for $2,900 a few months ago. And the retail space was already decimated - this has to make it worse.

It’s not unwelcome, R79. Most people don’t LIKE it, but the are smart enough not to actually wish it gone. You aren’t.

Oh, dear R82, you talk about who's smart and then you choose the wrong person to respond to.

I'm saying, R82, you dumb twat, that the sheer amount of tourists makes the city unmanageable and yes, it's nice to have a real from that. I hope that much you can comprehend. Cunt.

*it's nice to have a real break from that.

You'll get your wish, since tourists won't return for a long time, New York has taken over from Wuhan as the perceived epicenter of coronavirus. Enjoy the "freedom" and the lost revenue.

a one bedroom should rent or 16-1900 dollars, more for a truly upscale neighborhood. a studio should rent for 1200- 1400m more for an upscale neighborhood.

Thanks for your faux concern, R85. I never used the word freedom, either. I said a break from tourism. And they will come back. As for lost revenue, everyone in the country (and world) will feel it. Now fuck off.

After 9/11 - when NYC was seen as a likely target of another terrorist attack - is when NYC boomed. I thought housing and tourism would crash - I was wrong then so may be wrong again.

This will bring them back.

R85 Oink.

[quote]The lifeblood of much of the income, tourists, will be very slow to return, since the city has become synonymous with the epicenter of coronavirus

I would expect that theatre is going to be non-existent for a good long while.

Even if this curve flattens out, no one is going to want to sit elbow to elbow in a theater until this thing has a vaccine, and that ain’t happening for over a year, no?

Anyone who pays $3200 a month for a 250 sft apartment in Hell’s Kitchen is fucking retarded, and I know, I lived there when the neighborhood was a shithole but actually affordable.