Tenants demand rent freeze, landlords counter at Rent Guidelines Board meeting

Frustrated tenants and hesitant landlords squared off at Brooklyn’s Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) hearing on June 11 as the atmosphere inside the CUNY City Tech auditorium in Downtown Brooklyn quickly devolved into an ideological battle over how housing fits into the city’s economic structure.

- KAREN JUANITA CARRILLO Amsterdam News Staff

Frustrated tenants and hesitant landlords squared off at Brooklyn’s Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) hearing on June 11 as the atmosphere inside the CUNY City Tech auditorium in Downtown Brooklyn quickly devolved into an ideological battle over how housing fits into the city’s economic structure. The two sides posed the question of what housing is — a building for owners to generate revenue, or a place where people have a right to live and find shelter.

The RGB conducted public hearings throughout June in Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan to take public testimony about possible rent adjustments for rent-stabilized units. The final in-person hearing was held June 16 in Manhattan. The RGB is scheduled to hold its final vote on June 25.

The hearing at City Tech brought together coalitions of tenant advocates and an opposing number of landlords — primarily organized by the Gotham Housing Alliance — to speak up for their rights.

New York State Senator Stephen T. Chan testified that he once lived as a tenant in a substandard unit, but later became a small property owner. He said he understands the anger from both sides.

“During the COVID pandemic, I still had to pay my mortgage while nobody paid me rent, and that was tough,” he said. “While we talk about rent freezes, I also want to talk about property tax freezes, utility cost freezes, and insurance cost freezes.