Fair Rent OK’s Rent Rise For Senior

A 75-year-old tenant’s monthly rent will increase by $100 — after the Fair Rent Commission chipped away at the landlord’s compromise proposal of $150, following an initial suggested hike of $350.

That was the outcome of the commission’s latest monthly online meeting, held on March 18.

As Fair Rent Commissioner Wendy Gamba pointed out towards the end of her colleagues’ deliberations, both the tenant and the landlord’s property manager were ​“very nice and cordial” to one another over the course of the hearing.

“They both want to see their relationship continue,” Gamba noted, ​“which is something we don’t often see.”

Indeed, Fair Rent Commission hearings are often more fractious settings — where landlords and tenants fight it out over rent increases, retaliation, and unsafe living conditions. Not so here, as both property manager and tenant sought ways to keep their housing relationship alive, even as they disagreed over the most appropriate rent for the senior’s apartment.

In this particular case, at the end of Fair Rent’s March 18 hearing, the commissioners voted 5 – 3 to permit a monthly rent increase of $100 starting July 1 for a 75-year-old tenant who lives in a studio apartment at the 29-unit complex at 1447 Chapel St., which is owned by an affiliate of Pike International. 

The tenant’s current monthly rent is $950. However, the tenant has been paying an extra $50, totaling $1,000. He said that extra amount was to make up for rent that the tenant had previously withheld until Pike addressed his heat and maintenance concerns. The property manager said that the arrearage was not related to any issues with the apartment.

The commission’s decision means that the tenant’s new monthly rent will be $1,050.

The tenant — who asked to remain anonymous for this story out of a concern of reprisal, despite the kind words he had to say about his landlord — first filed a fair rent complaint against Pike in July 2024, after he received a letter indicating his monthly rent would be going up by $350, from $950 to $1,300.

According to Fair Rent Executive Director Wildaliz Bermúdez, her department hosted an informal hearing between the landlord and tenant that September. Pike agreed to reduce the proposed rent increase to $150, bringing the total monthly rent to $1,100. The tenant argued that was still too high. 

And so, on March 18, the tenant got a chance to make his case directly to the commissioners for a reduced rent increase.

The tenant said he is 75 years old and disabled. He said he’s had two strokes, a handful of hip replacements, hypertension, kidney disease, and diabetes.

He’s lived in his 1447 Chapel studio apartment since 2014, and would like to stay. 

He said his rent started at $700 when he first moved in a decade ago, and has risen over the years to $950. He explained that he currently pays an extra $50 each month, or $1,000 in total, to catch up on rent he withheld because his apartment was without heat for a week and a half, and because he lost access to his bathroom for four days when the ceiling fell in. He said the previous property manager failed to document an agreement they struck allowing for him to withhold rent because of those condition concerns — and so now he pays $50 extra each month to catch up. (The building’s property manager, Gianna Stebbins, offered a different perspective on what’s going on: She said that the arrearage is unrelated to any issues with the apartment. She said Pike extended the tenant a ​“repayment plan for this balance which was feasible for him on a monthly basis.”)

“I really can’t afford more than that at this time,” he said about his currently $1,000 monthly payments. ​“I know there’s an offer of $1,100, which is still a bit steep for me,” because of the rising cost of his medical bills. ​“I really can’t pay a dime more.”

“I’ve been there since 2014. I really like the place,” the tenant concluded. ​“I’ve been a tenant in good standing. I’d like to remain there.”

During her five minutes to respond, Pike property manager Gianna Stebbins said that, from her perspective as well, the tenant has been ​“a very good tenant. I hope we come to a good decision for everybody.”

She recognized that paying $1,100 instead of $1,000 each month would be a challenge for the tenant given his age and medical conditions. ​“But, from a company standpoint, I think a $1,100 rent for his studio apartment is more than a fair amount.”

In response to questions from Fair Rent Commission Vice Chair Doug Losty, Stebbins said that the tenant’s studio apartment is 925 square feet. She said comparable studios in the same building currently rent out for $1,215, $1,250, and $1,295.

“Raising your rent $100 is kind of substantial, I understand, but from a business standpoint, that’s still a lot less than other residents are seeing,” she said.

During the commissioners’ deliberations on the matter, Losty said that the compromise rent of $1,100 ​“is not unreasonable.”

Fellow Commissioner Elena Grewal pushed back, noting that the tenant ​“said he can’t pay it, and it’s a studio apartment.” She agreed that $1,100 is not an unreasonable amount, but asked her colleagues to consider something lower.

Commissioner Dondre Roberts took into account the tenant’s loss of heat for a week and a half and loss of access to his bathroom for four days. Shouldn’t that result in a lower rent increase?

“Well, yes, but those are very short term conditions,” Losty replied. ​“It sounds like the landlord jumped on that pretty quickly” to make the needed repairs.

That’s when Gamba noted just how kind both parties were to one another in a venue where landlords and tenants usually fight. 

Losty wound up proposing a new rent of $1,050 per month, starting in July 1. Enough of his colleagues voted in support for the motion to pass.

After the meeting, the tenant told the Independent he appreciates the lower rent increase — but will still find $1,050 difficult to pay. He said he’s worried that the landlord will continue to raise the rent, and eventually he’ll have to move out. 

In a separate comment, Pike’s property manager, Stebbins, acknowledged that the tenant has been renting from the company for over 10 years. ​“As you stated, he is an elderly gentleman with a host of health issues. I am most certainly happy that he is able to remain in the unit although the pricing increase is lower than what we had hoped.”