In light of the city’s robust economy and the property-tax cuts agreed to by Mayor Bloomberg and the City Council, city Comptroller Bill Thompson is asking that there be no rent hikes for the 1.1 million rent-stabilized tenants.
Thompson made an appeal to the city’s Rent Guidelines Board, which approved preliminary rent hikes of 2 to 4.5 percent. For new two-year leases, the proposed increase was 4 to 7.5 percent.
Last week, the comptroller – a potential mayoral candidate in 2009 – fired off a letter to the board and the mayor urging zero rent increases.
“In light of the significant property-tax reductions and in recognition of the struggles of the city’s nearly 1 million rent-stabilized tenants, I strongly urge that the board enact either no increase or an increase at the low end of the proposed ranges,” the comptroller wrote.
Warning that the city’s affordable-housing stock is vanishing, Thompson said, once “families have been priced out of their apartments, there will be no other options.”
He sent his letter after the council voted to approve the city’s $59 billion budget with its $4 billion surplus that contained a 7 percent property-tax cut and a $400 property tax.
Joseph Strasburg, president of the Rent Stabilization Association, which represents 25,000 landlords, lambasted the comptroller’s proposal.
“It is unrealistic to believe that there aren’t owners out there who need the extra cash infusion to maintain their buildings,” he said.