Many New York City landlords who make alterations to their rent-stabilized apartments are circumventing the law by getting the approval of the Department of Buildings but failing to get the green light from state regulators, according to the lawsuit filed.
Many landlords are going straight to the DOB, without notifying DHCR, according to the lawsuit. All apartment alterations dealing with rent stabilized apartments must also be approved by DHCR. The lawsuit seeks to annul the DOB’s approval of the permits and to stop the landlord from submitting future alteration plans without DHCR approval.
“DOB can solve this now by communicating with the State on these permits, and we call for better coordination to prevent this practice of substantially altering rent-stabilized apartments without State approval, for financial gain by unscrupulous landlords,” Soltren added.