Rent-Stabilized Renos - Does the LL Need Our Permission?
So, we have a stabilized apartment with a fairly gross kitchen. After the LL saying we could renovate it ourselves, he suddenly decided (upon further reflection on his ability to raise our rent) to do it himself, with his crew of… uh… artisans. We’re a little pissy about the sudden switch and the corresponding loss…
So, we have a stabilized apartment with a fairly gross kitchen. After the LL saying we could renovate it ourselves, he suddenly decided (upon further reflection on his ability to raise our rent) to do it himself, with his crew of… uh… artisans.
We’re a little pissy about the sudden switch and the corresponding loss of quality and increase in rent, but if it means the kitchen is actually usable, we’re probably fine with it.
My question is this- we want some sort of ballpark figure from him of what the reno will cost, so we can determine if the corresponding bump in rent is really worth it to us. If he gives us a number that’s ridiculous (or refuses to give a #) can we refuse to let him renovate the kitchen?
It seems like the answer would be an obvious yes, but I wasn’t sure. And yes, I realize that we can’t renovate it either at that point. But we’d rather try and scrub the filth off and repaint the cabinets than pay $200 more rent per month for the next 20 years.
don’t worry about the kitchen. Put all your efforts in getting out of there and avoiding the fate of being a renter all your life. At a certain point, you will have no choice.
jessibaby is correct. I have relatives in an RS apt stuck with 1972 appliances because LL refuses to upgrade, and threatens to start eviction if they upgrade on their own. If you are over 62, eviction for any reason becomes a lot more difficult for LL.
Stargazer – I’m pretty sure if you do your own renovations, it’s grounds for the LL to end the tenancy.
“…for the next 20 years.” This reminds me: never buy a building with rent stabilized tenants.
Since he needs your authorization in writing, ask for the cost/rent increase before any work. You don’t have to say yes either. I wouldn’t. There are no mechanism to actually check what he actually spent, and it’s common to have super-inflated fake bills for the purpose of increasing the rent. It’s a racket.
Be aware that if you decide to do any renovation work “on the sly” that you could be liable for the cost of putting the apartment back the way it was. You are not allowed to make major changes to the apartment without the landlord’s permission.
if you are buying the cabinets, etc, why is he charging you more rent?
if he is buying them and installing, i get it….
best thing to me would be to buy and install them yourselves, especially if the rent is really good and you do plan on staying there for a number of years.
my shift with the i’s dont always work, ugh
Working from what you don’t want to pay back to the renovation cost, a $200/month increase in rent would mean an $8000 (in eligible costs) renovation. It’s not hard to spend that much fixing up a kitchen, but it should get you a significant upgrade.
…and you plan to be there for 20 more years?