Landlord and Tenant Grievances

By Adam Pincus

The overall relationship between landlord and tenant in New York City is frayed, according to multiple interviews with representatives of both sides, but it’s unclear how, when or even why the relationship should be improved.

The relationship is dynamic and at times residents of the city perceive the landlord as having the upper hand and at times — such as now — the residents see the tenant as having the upper hand.

Many residents and owners of multifamily properties believe the antagonistic relationship between landlord and tenant does not benefit either party and reduces the quality of housing as well as financial returns. Others, however, see the relative weakness of the landlords and view this as a crucial moment to be seized and leveraged to further strengthen the tenant’s hand.

In the spirit of public service, PincusCo Media is publishing a list of Grievances that each side holds against the other, or against related parties. The intent is to identify the major causes of the frayed relationship. If you would like to add to these lists, please email [email protected].

Tenant Grievances
-Landlord does not care for the property
-Landlord makes life miserable for tenants with the goal that they leave
-Landlord does not make repairs
-Landlord raises rents too much
-Rents are too high to begin with
-Landlord evicts tenants without cause (or for some, even with cause)
-Overwhelming power remains in the hands of landlords

Landlord Grievances
-City and state governments are unpredictable and hostile to landlords
-Property taxes take approximately 25% of income and always rise
-Taxes rise but income increase is zero or low.
-Tenant damages property with malice or carelessness
-Tenant withholds rent despite being able to pay
-Rent stabilization laws are not targeted at low-income
-City, state electeds don’t care about the financial health of landlords, despite crucial tax payments