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The Rent Racket

How landlords sidestep tenant protections in New York City.

ProPublica is exploring New York City’s broken rent stabilization system, the tax breaks that underpin it, the regulators who look the other way and the tenants who suffer as a result.

Impact of Our Reporting
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The Rent Racket

De Blasio Says ‘Enough is Enough’: Landlords Getting Big Tax Break Must Cap Rent Hikes

The mayor’s statement, publicizing a crackdown on owners of more than 3,000 rental buildings, is his sharpest critique yet of enforcement lapses benefiting scofflaw property owners.

The Rent Racket

NYC To Put 3,000 Landlords On Notice: Comply With Law or Lose Tax Benefits

Reversing years of lax scrutiny, officials are seeking to enforce rent protections tied to the city’s single biggest housing subsidy.

The Rent Racket

NYC Lawmakers Push For Audits of Landlords Who Pocket $1.4 Billion Tax Break

Legislation introduced in City Council on Wednesday would require the city’s housing arm to audit 20 percent of buildings receiving the benefit. Violators would have to return the money.

The Rent Racket

Dozens of New York Officials Support Tenants’ Lawsuit Over Rent Stabilization

Tenants have sued a Lower Manhattan developer, saying their leases should have been rent-stabilized in exchange for the tax breaks their landlord received. State and local officials have now filed a brief supporting the tenants, whose case could affect thousands of rental units.

The Rent Racket

NYC May Actually Crack Down on Developers Who Cheat Taxpayers and Renters

The head of the city’s housing department has laid out steps to boost oversight of tax breaks for developers and other programs overseen by the agency.

The Rent Racket

NY Lawmakers Want Stiffer Penalties for Landlords Who Ignore Rent Limits

A bill introduced in response to ProPublica’s reporting would make landlords liable for up to 10 times the amount of overcharges imposed on tenants in rent-stabilized apartments.

The Rent Racket

NYC Bill Targets Landlords Who Get Tax Breaks, Duck Rent Limits

City Council members propose inventory system and fines for landlords after ProPublica reports that 50,000 apartments aren’t registered for rent regulation as required.

It’s Legal: Some New York Landlords Can Take Tax Breaks Then Raise Rents Without Limit

Many ‘Rent-Stabilized’ NYC Apartments Are Not Really Stabilized. See Where They Are.

Preferential Rents in NYC

New York Landlords Exploit Loophole to Hike Rents Despite Freeze

Gov. Cuomo's New Affordable Housing Proposal Would Make Some Rents Less Affordable

Why Developers of Manhattan Luxury Towers Give Millions to Upstate Candidates

New York City and State Step Up Enforcement of Wage Rules For Luxury Building Workers

Cuomo Said He’d Return 50,000 Apartments to Rent Regulation. He Didn’t Come Close.

Tracking Evictions and Rent Stabilization in NYC

The Fateful Vote That Made New York City Rents So High

Thousands of NYC Landlords Who Ignored Rent Caps Got Tax Breaks They Didn’t Qualify For

If You Live In These Tax-Subsidized Buildings, You Are Entitled to a Rent Freeze

What’s The Rent? NYC Housing Officials Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

This Is What New York’s ‘Voluntary Compliance’ For Landlords Looks Like

New York Isn’t Telling Tenants They May Be Protected From Big Rent Hikes

Meet the NYC Tax Break That Could Save You From Eviction Or A Big Rent Hike

Two Decades Later, Democrats Say Giuliani Was Wrong About Rent Limits

How Rudy Giuliani Helped Landlords Get a Tax Break With No Strings Attached

Brooklyn Officials Ask State to Investigate Rent Overcharges

3 Things Mayor de Blasio and AG Schneiderman Didn’t Say About Housing Enforcement

Rent Limits Just a Fiction for Thousands of NYC Tenants, Records Disclose

Is Your Doorman Getting Underpaid? Here’s How to Find Out.

NYC's Prevailing Wage Apartment Buildings

NYC Housing Official Pans Rent Reforms As ‘Waste’

Renter Beware: Ten Ways Unscrupulous Landlords Cheat NYC Tenants

NY State Data Indicates Even More Landlords Duck Rent Limits

NYC Lets Luxury Building Owners Stiff Workers and Still Get a Tax Break

Tenants Take the Hit as New York Fails to Police Huge Housing Tax Break

Landlords to Pay $5 Million for Dodging Rent Laws

Landlords Fail To List 50,000 N.Y.C. Apartments for Rent Limits

Are You Paying Too Much Rent? What You Need to Know About Rent Limits

N.Y.C. Landlords Flout Rent Limits — But Still Rake In Lucrative Tax Breaks