HCR Fact Sheet #40: Preferential Rents

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

HCR Fact Sheet #40: Preferential Rents FACT SHEET # 40 Preferential Rents 3 PAGES SUMMARY AND HIGHLIGHTS AT A GLANCE A preferential rent is a rent an owner agrees to charge that is lower than This Fact Sheet explains the legal regulated rent they could lawfully collect. The Housing Stability the circumstances under & Tenant Protection Act (HSTPA) of 2019 established that tenants paying which rent-subsidized a preferential rent on or after June 14, 2019, will retain it as long as they continue to rent the property. tenants may pay less than regulated rents. Owner • Owners may charge the higher legal regulated Responsibilities rent only when the tenant permanently vacates the DEFINITIONS & Tenant Rights apartment. Emergency Tenant Protection Act • An owner cannot use or enforce any clause in a lease (ETPA): Outside New York City, rent to end a preferential or discounted rent if the tenant stabilization is also known as ETPA, fails to pay the preferential or discounted rent on short for the Emergency Tenant time. Protection Act, and is applicable • An owner cannot use or enforce any lease clause in some localities in Nassau, that requires a discounted rent to be paid by a certain Westchester and Rockland counties. method, such as electronic payment. Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act (HSTPA) of 2019: The act, which went into effect on June 14, 2019, made changes to how rents can be raised and changed formulas for vacancy leases, Major Capital Improvements (MCI) and Individual Apartment Improvements (IAI). A PUBLICATION OF THE DIVISION OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY RENEWAL OFFICE OF RENT ADMINISTRATION FS-40 (09/2019) FACT SHEET #40: PREFERENTIAL RENTS PAGE 2 OF 3 FACT SHEET #40: IN DETAIL A preferential rent is a rent which an owner agrees the tenant, such as the tenant’s payment of the to charge that is lower than the legal regulated rent electronically. Such lease clauses may be rent that the owner could lawfully collect. challenged by the tenant in a rent overcharge or lease violation complaint with DHCR or can be Pursuant to the Housing Stability & Tenant reviewed by a court of competent jurisdiction. Protection Act (HSTPA) of 2019, tenants that were paying a preferential rent as of June 14, Example 1: 2019, retain the preferential rent for the life of the tenancy. Rent Guidelines Board increases and Mr. Jones signed a one year lease, effective other increases allowed by the Rent Stabilization October 1, 2018. The lease cited a legal regulated Law or Emergency Tenant Protection Act are to rent of $1,200 and a preferential rent of $1,000. be applied to the preferential rent. A tenant who believes that they are entitled to a renewal lease 1. On October 1, 2019, when Mr. Jones’ with a preferential rent but is being charged more one year lease renewal begins, the legal than that amount may file a rent overcharge or regulated rent increases by 1.5% to $1,218 lease violation complaint with DHCR or a court due to the annual rent guidelines board of competent jurisdiction. (See Examples below.) increase, and the preferential rent increases Please note that certain government regulatory by 1.5% to $1,015. Mr. Jones will pay the agreement/financed affordable housing programs $1,015 rent. may not be bound by this limitation; please contact the supervising government agency for more 2. Owners can no longer terminate the information. collection of the preferential rent at the time of lease renewal pursuant to the HSTPA of Owners may terminate the preferential rent and 2019 since the tenant’s lease in effect on or charge the higher legal regulated rent (with after June 14, 2019 has a preferential rent. applicable increases) only when the tenant permanently vacates the apartment. In addition, Example 2: the legal regulated rent upon which these increases are based must be written in the Ms. Sanchez has a lease with a preferential rent vacancy or renewal lease in which the preferential of $1,000, set to expire on 6/30/19. Ms. Sanchez rent was first charged and in all subsequent signed a one year renewal lease on 4/30/2019 and renewal leases in order for the owner to charge returned it the same day. The renewal lease was the prior legal rent upon a vacancy. Registration effective 7/1/19. The renewal lease cited a legal with DHCR of the legal regulated rent by itself will regulated rent of $1,218 but ended the preferential not establish the legal rent for future usage. rent which was $1,000. An owner cannot use or enforce a clause in a rent- 1. On July 1, 2019, when Ms. Sanchez’s one year stabilized lease that provides that the owner may renewal lease begins, the legal regulated end a preferential or a discounted rent where the rent will increase by 1.5% From $1,200 to tenant fails to pay the preferential or discounted $1,218 due to the annual rent guidelines rent on time or by a certain day of the month. board increase. However, the preferential rent will also increase by 1.5% to $1,015. Ms. An owner cannot use or enforce any other Sanchez will pay the $1,015 preferential lease clause that conditions the payment of a rent. discounted rent on the performance of an act by A PUBLICATION OF THE DIVISION OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY RENEWAL OFFICE OF RENT ADMINISTRATION FS-40 (09/2019) FACT SHEET #40: PREFERENTIAL RENTS PAGE 3 OF 3 2. Although the renewal lease was signed before the effective date of the HSTPA, it did not become effective until July 1, 2019. As the prior lease in effect on June 14, 2019 had a preferential rent, pursuant to the HSTPA of 2019, the tenant’s renewal lease must be based on that preferential rent. SOURCES Housing Stability & Tenant Protection Act (HSTPA) of 2019 Rent Connect: To visit a Borough Rent Office, by appointment only, please contact: rent.hcr.ny.gov QUEENS UPPER MANHATTAN BRONX 92-31 Union Hall Street 163 W. 125th Street 1 Fordham Plaza Ask a question: portal.hcr.ny.gov/app/ 6th Floor 5th Floor 4th Floor ask Jamaica, NY 11433 New York, NY 10027 Bronx, NY 10458 718-482-4041 212-961-8930 718-430-0880 For translation help: hcr.ny.gov/language- BROOKLYN LOWER MANHATTAN WESTCHESTER accessibility 55 Hanson Place 25 Beaver Street 75 South Broadway 6th Floor New York, NY 10004 3rd Floor Our website: Brooklyn, NY 11217 212-480-6238 White Plains, NY 10601 hcr.ny.gov/rent 718-722-4778 914-948-4434 A PUBLICATION OF THE DIVISION OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY RENEWAL OFFICE OF RENT ADMINISTRATION FS-40 (09/2019).
Recommended publications
  • Affordable Housing Lease Addendum HOME And/Or NHTF Assisted
    Affordable Housing Lease Addendum HOME and/or NHTF Assisted It is possible that the unit for which you are applying has been assisted with federal funds and is governed by the HOME Investment Partnerships Program 24 CFR Part 92 or the National Housing Trust Fund Program (NHTF) 24 CFR Part 93, as amended. The HOME program requires that in order to be eligible for admittance into this unit, your total household annual income must be at or below 50% of median income (very low- income as defined under 24 CFR Part 92). The National Housing Trust Fund program requires that in order to be eligible for admittance into this unit, your total household annual income must be at or below 30% of median income (extremely low-income as defined under 24 CFR Part 93). If your unit is initially designated as a HOME unit and after initial occupancy and income determination, your total household annual income increases above 80% of median income (low-income as defined under 24 CFR Part 92), you will be required to pay 30% of your adjusted gross monthly income for rent and utilities, except that tenants of HOME-assisted units that have been allocated low-income housing tax credits by a housing credit agency pursuant to section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C.42) must pay rent governed by section 42. If your unit is initially designated as a NHTF unit and after initial occupancy and income determination, your total household annual income increases above 30% of median income (household is no longer extremely low income), you may stay in your NHTF assisted unit.
    [Show full text]
  • What Affordable Housing Programs and Initiatives
    WHAT AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES DOES THE DISTRICT OFFER? DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: • Inclusionary Zoning Affordable Housing Program (IZ) sets aside a percentage of affordable rental or for-sale units in new residential development projects of 10 or more units as well as rehabilitation projects that are expanding an existing building by 50 percent or more. Households interested in purchasing or leasing an IZ home must take the IZ orientation class with one of DHCD partner community-based organizations and complete the online registration form. For more information, please visit the following link: www.dhcd.dc.gov/service/inclusionary-zoning-affordable-housing-program • The Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF) is a special revenue fund administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development. The HPTF provides funding for the production and preservation of homes that are affordable to low-income households in the District in a wide variety of ways. The primary use of the fund is as “gap financing” that enables housing projects to have sufficient financing to provide affordable housing. The fund also provides other forms of assistance including: - pre-development loans to assist nonprofit housing developers in getting low income housing projects funded; - financing for site acquisition to provide locations to build affordable housing; - funding for the rehabilitation of single family homes. Since 2001, the HPTF has helped produce over 9,000 affordable homes for low income District residents. For more information, please visit the following link: https://dhcd.dc.gov/page/housing-production-trust-fund • The Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP) provides interest-free loans and closing cost assistance to qualified applicants to purchase single-family houses, condominiums, or cooperative units.
    [Show full text]
  • Single-Room Occupancy Uses
    City Council Report City Council Meeting: March 26, 2019 Agenda Item: 7.A To: Mayor and City Council From: David Martin, Director, City Planning Subject: Introduction and Adoption of an Urgency Interim Zoning Ordinance Regarding Single-Room Occupancy Uses Recommended Action Staff recommends Council introduce and adopt an urgency interim zoning ordinance to prohibit Single-Room Occupancy (SRO) uses citywide on an interim basis in order to prevent the proliferation and over-concentration of SRO uses that are not 100% Affordable Housing Projects or certain specialized housing uses such as emergency shelters, transitional housing, and supportive housing. This urgency interim zoning ordinance would allow for study of revised development standards, land use regulations, use classifications, and additional requirements related to physical design or amenity plans, for SRO uses in order to protect the public health, safety and welfare. Executive Summary Over the years, City staff, decisionmakers, and community members have had numerous discussions regarding housing development in the City and how to create effective housing policies, programs, and regulatory tools to address the need for more development of a variety of types and sizes of housing options. In particular, a need has been identified for development of new affordable housing and supportive housing, and market-rate multi-family projects near transit, in order to offer attractive and feasible opportunities for a range of individuals and families to live in Santa Monica. The Downtown Community Plan was adopted by Council on July 25, 2017. Framed as a “housing first” approach, it envisioned a robust mix of housing types serving a wide range of household sizes and income levels.
    [Show full text]
  • DC's Vanishing Affordable Housing
    An Affiliate of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities 820 First Street NE, Suite 460 Washington, DC 20002 (202) 408-1080 Fax (202) 408-8173 www.dcfpi.org March 12, 2015 Going, Going, Gone: DC’s Vanishing Affordable Housing By Wes Rivers Introduction Rapidly rising housing costs led to a substantial loss of low-cost rental housing in the District over the last decade, yet there was little growth in wages for many residents, which means that rent is increasingly eating away at household budgets. As the District’s high cost of living continues to outpace incomes, more and more residents struggle to pay for housing while also meeting other necessities like food, clothing, health care, and transportation. The loss of affordable housing threatens the physical and mental health of families, makes it harder for adults to find and keep a job, creates instability for children that makes it hard to focus at school, and leaves thousands at risk of homelessness at any given moment. This analysis looks at the costs of rent and utilities paid by District residents over the last decade, and how these trends have affected residents’ ability to afford and live in DC, using data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. The findings suggest that policymakers need a comprehensive strategy to preserve the low-cost housing that now exists and to create more affordable housing options in the city. Rents have grown sharply but incomes have not for many DC households. For example, rents for residents with incomes of about $22,000 a year increased $250 a month over the past decade, adjusting for inflation, while incomes remained flat.
    [Show full text]
  • Ph6.1 Rental Regulation
    OECD Affordable Housing Database – http://oe.cd/ahd OECD Directorate of Employment, Labour and Social Affairs - Social Policy Division PH6.1 RENTAL REGULATION Definitions and methodology This indicator presents information on key aspects of regulation in the private rental sector, mainly collected through the OECD Questionnaire on Affordable and Social Housing (QuASH). It presents information on rent control, tenant-landlord relations, lease type and duration, regulations regarding the quality of rental dwellings, and measures regulating short-term holiday rentals. It also presents public supports in the private rental market that were introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Information on rent control considers the following dimensions: the control of initial rent levels, whether the initial rents are freely negotiated between the landlord and tenants or there are specific rules determining the amount of rent landlords are allowed to ask; and regular rent increases – that is, whether rent levels regularly increase through some mechanism established by law, e.g. adjustments in line with the consumer price index (CPI). Lease features concerns information on whether the duration of rental contracts can be freely negotiated, as well as their typical minimum duration and the deposit to be paid by the tenant. Information on tenant-landlord relations concerns information on what constitute a legitimate reason for the landlord to terminate the lease contract, the necessary notice period, and whether there are cases when eviction is not permitted. Information on the quality of rental housing refers to the presence of regulations to ensure a minimum level of quality, the administrative level responsible for regulating dwelling quality, as well as the characteristics of “decent” rental dwellings.
    [Show full text]
  • The Impact of Affordable Housing on Communities and Households
    Discussion Paper The Impact of Affordable Housing on Communities and Households Spencer Agnew Graduate Student University of Minnesota, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs Research and Evaluation Unit Table of Contents Executive Summary ............................................................................................................ 3 Chapter 1: Does Affordable Housing Impact Surrounding Property Values? .................... 5 Chapter 2: Does Affordable Housing Impact Neighborhood Crime? .............................. 10 Chapter 3: Does Affordable Housing Impact Health Outcomes? ..................................... 14 Chapter 4: Does Affordable Housing Impact Education Outcomes? ............................... 19 Chapter 5: Does Affordable Housing Impact Wealth Accumulation, Work, and Public Service Dependence? ........................................................................................................ 24 2 Executive Summary Minnesota Housing finances and advances affordable housing opportunities for low and moderate income Minnesotans to enhance quality of life and foster strong communities. Overview Affordable housing organizations are concerned primarily with helping as many low and moderate income households as possible achieve decent, affordable housing. But housing units do not exist in a vacuum; they affect the neighborhoods they are located in, as well as the lives of their residents. The mission statement of Minnesota Housing (stated above) reiterates the connections between housing, community, and quality
    [Show full text]
  • The DC Right to Housing Campaign Meetali Jain
    Human Rights Brief Volume 17 | Issue 3 Article 2 2010 Bringing Human Rights Home: The DC Right to Housing Campaign Meetali Jain Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wcl.american.edu/hrbrief Part of the Housing Law Commons, and the Human Rights Law Commons Recommended Citation Jain, Meetali. "Bringing Human Rights Home: The DC Right to Housing Campaign." Human Rights Brief 17, no.3 (2010): 10-14. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Washington College of Law Journals & Law Reviews at Digital Commons @ American University Washington College of Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Human Rights Brief by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ American University Washington College of Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Jain: Bringing Human Rights Home: The DC Right to Housing Campaign Bringing Human Rights Home: The DC Right to Housing Campaign by Meetali Jain* Housing is not simply about bricks and mortar, nor is it simply a financial asset. Housing includes a sense of community, trust and bonds built between neighbor- hoods over time; the schools which educate the child; and the businesses which the local economy and pro- vide needed goods and services. — Raquel Rolnik, UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing1 he United Nations Centre for Human Settlements esti- mates that globally over one billion people live in inad- Tequate housing, with an excess of 100 million people liv- ing in conditions classified as homelessness. Here in the District of Columbia, a city with the widest income gap between rich and poor of any city in the country, we do not need to look further than our backyard to bear witness to the truth of these statistics.2 Washington, D.C.
    [Show full text]
  • Market-Rate Affordable Housing: an Approach for Preservation
    Market-Rate Affordable Housing: An Approach for Preservation March 31, 2017 Table of Contents Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 5 Market Rate Affordable Housing and Arlington County’s Affordable Housing Policy .................................................................................................................. 5 What is Market-Rate Affordable Housing? .................................................................................................................................................................................. 6 Summary of Arlington’s Efforts to Preserve Market Rate Affordable Housing ............................................................................................................................ 7 Analysis of Market-Rate Affordable Housing in the Study Area ................................................................................................................................................. 10 Current tools available to prevent the loss of MARKs ...............................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Shedding the Stigma: the Value of Manufactured Homes
    SHEDDING THE STIGMA: Today’s manufactured homes offer high quality, energy-efficient and stylish options for affordable housing. As communities and families across the country seek affordable housing options – one solution is often overlooked: manufactured homes. By Stacey Epperson, President & Founder, Next Step, and Paul Fortenberry, Director of Communications, Clayton Home Building Group Space to stretch out. Freedom to complete DIY From an older couple seeking a healthier home projects or hang artwork. Privacy. A walk-in closet. environment, to a working single mom wanting to Money left over at the end of the month. These go back to school, to an Iraq War veteran looking are a few of the benefits highlighted by owners to provide a good home for his young family, these of manufactured homes in a recent campaign by individuals all found their solution in manufactured Next Step called #ForeverHome. Next Step is a homes. Proponents and advocates for more Kentucky-based nonprofit organization that supports affordable housing often neglect to discuss this responsible financing, comprehensive homebuyer viable option. Next Step advocates for hard-working education and delivery of high quality, ENERGY families across America who deserve access to STAR ® manufactured homes with manufacturing manufactured housing - often the only affordable partners such as Clayton. option outside of renting that offers a path to wealth building through equity. Increased access to homeownership creates wealth building opportunities for families, builds a greater sense of stability and responsibility, and contributes to vibrant communities across the country. In the US, only 35 affordable As it stands, there are few affordable rental units homes are available for every available for low-income families.
    [Show full text]
  • A Brief Historical Overview of Affordable Rental Housing
    A Brief Historical Overview of Affordable Rental Housing ffordable housing is a broad and complex to improve urban infrastructure subject intertwined with many disciplines: and to clear “blight.” This often meant wholesale finance, economics, politics, and social destruction of neighborhoods and housing, albeit services,A to name a few. In spite of the complexity, often low-quality housing, lived in by immigrants advocates may come to an understanding of the and people of color. essential workings of affordable housing, and, in In 1965, Congress elevated housing to a cabinet- doing so, be prepared to advocate effectively for level agency of the federal government, creating the programs and policies that can ensure access to HUD, which succeeded the Housing and Home decent, affordable housing for the people in need in Finance Agency, which succeeded the National their communities. Housing Agency. This article provides a broad, though not HUD is not the only federal agency to have begun exhaustive, overview of the history of affordable housing programs in response to the problems rental housing programs in the United States, and of the Great Depression. The U.S. Department attempts to paint a picture of how those programs of Agriculture (USDA) sought to address the work together to meet the housing needs of low poor housing conditions of farmers and other income people. rural people through the 1935 creation of the Resettlement Administration, predecessor to HISTORY USDA’s Rural Development. USDA’s rural rental and As with any federal program, federal housing homeownership programs improved both housing programs grew and changed based on the access and housing quality for the rural poor.
    [Show full text]
  • Manufactured Housing
    Manufactured Housing By Doug Ryan, Senior Director of home in 2017 was $71,900 (excluding land Affordable Homeownership, Prosperity costs); much less compared to an average Now of $293,727 for a newly constructed single- family home and approximately $184, 647 anufactured homes are an often for an existing site-built home (see the U.S. overlooked and maligned component Census Bureau’s Manufactured Homes Survey and of our nation’s housing stock, but these Characteristics of New Housing, along with the Mhomes are an important source of housing for National Association of Realtors’ Median Sales millions of Americans, especially those with low Price of Existing Homes). Manufactured homes incomes and in rural areas. Although the physical cost about half of what site-built homes cost per quality of manufactured housing continues to square foot, though transportation and onsite progress, the basic delivery system of how these work slightly increase the final costs. Even homes are sold, financed, and managed is still in though the purchase price of manufactured need of improvement to ensure that they are a homes can be relatively affordable, financing viable and quality source of affordable housing. them may not. The majority of manufactured homes are still financed with personal property, ISSUE SUMMARY or Chattel loans (see the Consumer Financial There are approximately 6.7 million occupied Protection Bureau’s Manufactured Housing manufactured homes in the U.S., comprising Consumer-Finance in the United States). With about 6% of the nation’s housing stock. More shorter terms and higher interest rates, personal than half of all manufactured homes are property loans are generally less beneficial located in rural areas around the country.
    [Show full text]
  • Housing Insecurity and the COVID-19 Pandemic
    CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU | MARCH 2021 Housing insecurity and the COVID-19 pandemic Table of contents Table of contents......................................................................................................... 1 Executive Summary .................................................................................................... 2 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 3 2. Impacts of the pandemic ...................................................................................... 5 3. Disparities ............................................................................................................. 8 4. Current and future risks ..................................................................................... 11 Homeowners ................................................................................................ 11 Renters ......................................................................................................... 14 Manufactured housing .................................................................................. 18 The uncounted: the need for further research .............................................. 19 1 CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU Executive Summary In 2020, those who have fallen behind at least three months on their mortgage increased 250 percent to over 2 million households, and is now at a level not seen since the height of the Great Recession in 2010. Collectively, these
    [Show full text]