Tenants urge Nassau Rent Guidelines Board to nix increases

Several tenants and landlords detailed how inflation was straining their finances before the Nassau County Rent Guidelines Board, which caps how much owners may raise rents at nearly 6,500 apartments throughout the region.

More than 50 people gathered at the Nathan L.H. Bennett Pavilion in Hempstead Thursday, where the Rent Guidelines Board considered data on owner expenses and income. The board — comprising eight members recommended by the county and appointed by the state — is slated to set the maximum percentage landlords may raise rents at a June 21 meeting. The rent-increase limits will impact one- and two-year leases signed beginning Oct. 1. 

Renters said they've been squeezed by higher prices for essentials and couldn't shoulder a rent increase. Hempstead resident Melissa Devone, 62, asked the board to keep in mind that landlords have alternative ways of collecting additional revenue. Hers announced plans to increase monthly parking fees from $75 to $150, which may force her to park on the street.

"I can't afford that, which means when I leave my chemo treatments, I have to go two blocks to get to my building," said Devone, who noted that she has stage 3 lung cancer and congestive heart failure.

"I cannot afford a rent increase," she added. "I'm asking for a zero rent increase." 

The number of landlords charging "preferential" rates — lower rents than the maximum allowed — shows that many owners are already authorized to get more than the market can bear, said Michael Schnier, the president of the Long Beach Tenants Association. Landlords charge preferential rates at more than 30% of regulated apartments statewide, according to state Homes and Community Renewal agency data quoted by Schnier. He noted that fewer landlords are constrained by the regulations, given that the county's rent-stabilized apartment stock has shrunk by 45% over the past two decades. 

If so many landlords are accepting less than legally allowed, "the rents are high enough, and last year's increases were too high," Schnier, a teacher, said at an earlier meeting of the Rent Guidelines Board. "So many tenants are struggling to keep up with their lease due to inflation and related issues." 

Data compiled for the board's consideration detailed that the consumer price index rose 3.7% in the metro area from April 2022 to April 2023. The state estimates that Nassau landlords' income rose 2.9% and their expenses grew 4.4% from 2021 to 2022 based on surveys capturing the finances of 96 developments that contain both market-rate and regulated units. Tenant advocates pointed out that the landlord-reported data is not audited, while landlords said the figures overstate income by including money from unregulated — and more profitable — apartments.

Richard Rush, whose real estate firm owns and manages apartments in Great Neck, Rockville Centre and Hempstead, noted in written testimony that was read before the board that buildings with regulated apartments were built before 1973, and therefore, tend to have more maintenance issues. 

"They require a lot of repairs and maintenance to upkeep, and landlords should be incentivized to maintain their buildings for the benefit of the tenants, not let them fall into disrepair and become dilapidated," Rush noted in his testimony.

Rent increases should reflect inflation "so landlords could, at a minimum, keep pace with the rising expenses of operating rent-stabilized apartments," he said. 

By Sarina Trangle

sarina.trangle@newsday.comSarinaTrangle

Sarina Trangle covers affordability and cost of living issues and other business topics. She previously worked as an editor and reporter at amNewYork.