Bronx Tenants Defeat Landlord’s Attempt to Illegally Raise Rents, Saving Nearly $1.3 Million in Increases

(MOUNT HOPE, NY) – In a major victory for tenants across the city, tenants at 1777 Grand Concourse in the Bronx successfully pushed the New York State’s Division of Homes and Community Renewal (DHRC) to deny their landlord’s attempt to raise rents through a $1.3 million Major Capital Improvement (MCI) request. This decision to deny the MCI request, which allows landlords to pass on rent increases to tenants by making improvements to the building, is the result of tenants’ dogged determination and fight to hold their landlord accountable for years of dangerous living conditions. Tenants are represented by Legal Services NYC’s Tenant Rights Coalition and organized by New Settlement Apartments’ Community Action for Safe Apartments (CASA).

Read the decision here. Check out News12 coverage here.

“For the last several years, we have been in court with the landlord trying to get him to repair the substandard and subhuman conditions that we have lived under and are living under,” said Cora Robinson, a tenant at 1777 Grand Concourse for over 20 years. “When the landlord filed an MCI for work that he did not do, it was like rubbing salt into a wound. I’m forever grateful for Bronx Legal Services agreeing to fight against this MCI and for winning.”

 “This decision is a tremendous victory for the tenants at 1777 Grand Concourse, many of whom have been living in unsafe and deteriorating conditions for years,” said Doug Henerson, an attorney at Legal Services NYC’s Tenant Rights Coalition. “The denial of the landlord’s MCI application not only prevents unfair rent increases but also reinforces the need for landlords to meet their obligations without placing the financial burden on tenants. This outcome shows that when tenants stand together and fight back with legal support, they can achieve meaningful protections and defend their homes.”

Faced with years of dangerous living conditions (including a lack of gas service, persistent leaks, vermin, mold, and general disrepair) and the threat of unaffordable rent hikes, tenants organized and sought legal support to hold their landlord, Asden Management, accountable. 

With the help of  Legal Services NYC’s Tenant Rights Coalition and New Settlement Apartments’ Community Action for Safe Apartments (CASA), tenants opposed their landlords  MCI application seeking to illegally raise rents based on building improvement, arguing the request failed to meet the criteria for an MCI increase given the pervasive and hazardous conditions in the building.

DHCR’s denial of the MCI application not only shields tenants from unfair rent increases, but also pressures the landlord to address these longstanding issues without transferring the costs to residents. This victory has energized the tenant association, showcasing the power of collective action and legal advocacy in the fight for affordable, quality housing.

Legal Services NYC and CASA’s help fighting bad acting landlords and preserving affordable housing  is made possible with funding from the City’s Anti-Harassment and Tenant Protection program, which the City recently defunded to the tune of $25 million. The City must restore and increasing funding to AHTP if the City is serious about addressing its ongoing housing crisis.

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Legal Services NYC fights poverty and seeks racial, social, and economic justice for low-income New Yorkers. For over 50 years, LSNYC has challenged systemic injustices that trap people in poverty and helped clients meet basic needs for housing, income and economic security, family and immigration stability, education, and health care. LSNYC fights every day to ensure New Yorkers and their families have access to the services, resources, and protections they need to survive. http://www.legalservicesnyc.org/