Elmhurst Renters Demand Stronger Tenant Protections

ELMHURST, QUEENS — Residents of a rent-stabilized building in Elmhurst rallied Thursday to demand the state eliminate legal loopholes that they say put them at risk of eviction.

Tenants of 41-40 Denman St. stood outside their rent-stabilized building in the rain Thursday to describe rents skyrocketing to amounts they can't afford, leaving them vulnerable to eviction. The protests centered on "preferential rents" and the "eviction bonus," which the tenants said landlords are using as a bait-and-switch.

"Lease after lease, I noticed that my monthly rent continued to shoot up significantly," tenant Beronica Cedeno said. "I panic daily about what will happen to my family if we are removed from my apartment. Rent rates in this city have spun out of control and I can’t afford to go anywhere else."

Preferential rents are cheaper than the legal amount, but aren't subject to the city's rules governing rent increases for rent-regulated buildings, according to a ProPublica investigation. That means landlords can hike rents, even during rent freezes, to a "legal maximum," which is a rate the landlord sets based on renovations and other factors.

The so-called eviction bonus refers to a law allowing landlords to increase rents by up to 20 percent when an apartment becomes empty. A major landlord group told The New York Times the bonus makes up for the city's "inadequate" rent hikes in rent-regulated buildings.

Herman Franco, who lives 41-40 Denman St., paid $680 in monthly rent in 2003. The landlord revoked his preferential rent in 2016, and Franco suddenly had to pay $2,180 in rent each month. Advocates from Make the Road New York, which aids immigrant and working class communities, turned a copy of Franco's lease into a sign for the rally.

The tenants, many of whom speak Spanish, recited the chants “Inquilinos unidos jamás serán vencidos” — united tenants will never be defeated — and “La renta sube sube, el pueblo sufre sufre" — the rent goes up, the people suffer.

The protesters are pushing state legislators to pass laws to strengthen tenant protections before the legislative session ends in three months.

Here’s a staffer from @CatalinaCruzNY’s office speaking about preferential rents. pic.twitter.com/pCyQHiGnvK
— Maya Kaufman (@mayakauf) March 21, 2019

"I am a preferential renter; I know these issues first hand and I how important it is to pass universal rent control," State Sen. Jessica Ramos said in a statement. "I am fighting in Albany for communities like ours, and so that we can continue to afford to call Queens home."