Ways On How The MCI Rent Increases Are Being Determined

By Kimberly Hall


In New York City, New York, if a building owner will decide on subjecting an improved or installed building into a rent stabilization or may be into the control law, the owner will be given the permission on having an increased rental which is based on the actual cost of improvement or of installation. And in order for them to increase the rent, the major capital improvement should be new and not just a repair. Example is when he or she will receive an increase for new roof and not for a repaired one.

In the MCI, it involves different kinds of procedures to get qualified with it such as painting and waterproofing. A code is provided for this in which it is stated there that when applying for the MCI rent increases New York City, it must be filed in 2 years of installation. There are 4 things to be considered when qualifying the improvement or installation as MCI.

One, considering it as depreciable and must be under the internal revenue code. Two, must only be done for the maintenance, operation, and preservation of buildings. Three, it should provide benefits to all tenants indirectly or directly. And four, it must be meeting all the needed requirements for a useful life schedule.

After the owner will submit the application to the DHCR or the Division of Housing and Community Renewal, the DHCR will notify the tenant and will give them the opportunity for submitting some objections concerning the application. Owners may have the right on keeping the application copies that will serve as their supporting documentation about the premises and also, for a tenant to check on it. The responses of tenants can only be considered before the final determination.

The DHCR is the one who makes the decision if owners are already permitted on having an increase of whole part or half part, or if permission is denied. They are going to compute it based on the 7 years period for amortization of the verified costs of MCI. This increase is a permanent addition to the rent that is being legally regulated and is dropped off after the 7 years period.

However, an owner cannot do the collection of increases from tenants if the division has proof that the required services are not properly maintained. The tenants will also receive orders for the reduction of rent before granting the MCI. If order are issued already, then the owner can continue his or her collection.

For apartments which are stabilized, the increased amount should be more than 6 percent of the tenants bill. If it happens to be more than that, the 6 percent cap may be forwarded in the future years. This will affect the collectibility of retroactive portion of MCI temporarily.

And for those apartments which are located outside this city, the collectible should not exceed by 15 percent of bill of the tenant. In this case, no retroactive portions will occur. For those stabilized apartments, an amount of increases is effective on first 30 days.

The senior citizens who have Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption or SCRIE is exempted on paying the portions of amount. If the apartment is not rented and if the application is pending, an owner must inform tenants about this. If an owner fails on doing this, it may result to having no increase.




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