An investigation into illegal rent hikes led to the restabilization of 263 apartments and the rent reduction of 43 units across the city, the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a press release on Tuesday.
The apartments, located in 21 buildings across Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens were illegally deregulated or subjected to unlawful rent increases by landlords affiliated with Sentinel Real Estate Corporation.
The joint probe was conducted between the AG's office and the New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), the press release said.
“The previous owners of these buildings broke the law to pad their pockets and denied hardworking families a rightful home. Because we were able to return these units to the rent regulation program, more than 300 families will be able to access the affordable housing they deserve. I thank the new owners for their cooperation and will continue to work with our partners at HCR to protect affordable housing across New York," said Attorney General James.
HCR Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas welcomed the recovery of illegal profits and the protection of New Yorker's housing rights.
“This case demonstrates very clearly that we will do everything in our power to protect New York’s rent-regulated housing stock,” Visnauskas said.
