Want To See A Rent Freeze In New York City? Travel With The Flatbush Tenant Coalition To Tomorrow's Hearing

Want to see a rent freeze for neighbors living in rent-stabilized apartments?

The Flatbush Tenant Coalition is inviting anyone who’s interested to travel with them to attend a Rent Guidelines Board hearing tomorrow, June 18 at Brooklyn Borough Hall, located at 209 Joralemon Street. The hearing is being held to allow the public to testify about potential rent increases — the RGB is currently considering increases of 0 to 2 percent on one-year lease renewals and 0.5 to 3.5 percent on two-year renewals for rent-stabilized units.

Tomorrow’s hearing will run from 5-8pm, and to travel with the Flatbush Tenant Coalition, go to the FTC’s office at 1616 Newkirk Avenue at 3:45pm.

Please let the FTC know you’ll be traveling with them by calling 718-635-2625 or email ftcoalition@gmail.com.

Numerous neighbors have advocated for a rent freeze — which has never before happened in the city’s history, and some elected officials, including Councilman Jumaane Williams, are pushing the RGB to reduce rents on stabilized apartments.

Landlords, however, have said even a 2 percent increase wouldn’t be enough to meet their costs. Real Estate Weekly reported that Jack Freund, vice president of the owners’ group, the Rent Stabilization Association, said at a June 8 Rent Guidelines Board hearing, that the increases would not be “sufficient to meet operating costs,” stressing that water and sewer costs and property taxes continue to rise.

“Many middle class tenants do have the ability to withstand a moderate increase, and that’s all we ask for, a moderate increase to invest in old and aging housing stock,” Freund testified.

Others who are in favor of the rent freeze have noted that the RGB released a report this spring showing landlords of rent-stabilized buildings experienced their smallest increase in operating costs since 2002 — 0.5 percent, a jump so minute that tenant advocates have said it should translate to the city’s first-ever rent freeze.

To learn more about the rent freeze, see our past coverage here.