Opinion: As Rents Rise Again, Too Many Seniors Don’t Know They Can Freeze Theirs 

An estimated households are eligible for SCRIE or DRIE but only are presently enrolled That means nearly percent of tenants who could be protected may still face avoidable rent hikes in the months ahead An early evening games of dominoes at Serviam Gardens an affordable housing complex for seniors in the Bedford Park neighborhood of the Bronx Adi Talwar For decades Vincient Grillo a -year-old lifelong New Yorker in Upper Manhattan lived quietly in his family s rent-controlled apartment Like multiple older New Yorkers on fixed incomes he worried about what would happen when his lease expired and his rent increased I was ready to pack my bags and leave he announced Thanks to the city s Rent Freeze Undertaking which includes the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption SCRIE and the Disability Rent Increase Exemption DRIE Vincient s story took a different turn Connected through the Tenant Helpline to Outreach Specialist Michael Luat he applied for the benefit with hands-on sponsorship I had given up But Michael kept texting even when I wasn t responding He never gave up on me Vincient recalled Through the Rent Freeze Undertaking his rent was reduced to allowing him to remain in the apartment his family has called home since function d u ac var s d createElement 'script' s type 'text javascript' s src 'https a omappapi com app js api min js' s async true s dataset user u s dataset campaign ac d getElementsByTagName 'head' appendChild s document 'u kmqsczew vunxutxmd' This apartment is more than just four walls it s the only home I ve ever known It s my safety net he commented Without Rent Freeze I wouldn t have made it The Rent Guidelines Board in the past few days approved new increases for tenants in rent-stabilized apartments The most of newest order applies to leases commencing on or after Oct through Sept If your lease renews during this time a one-year lease may rise by percent while a two-year lease could increase by up to percent For multiple older adults and people with disabilities those hikes come on top of already rising costs for groceries medications and utilities But these increases are not inevitable Through SCRIE and DRIE tenants who qualify can lock in their rent at its current amount Landlords receive a tax credit to cover the difference while tenants gain long-term stability and peace of mind Once enrolled the benefit carries forward year after year through renewals The challenge is that far too plenty of eligible New Yorkers never apply According to the the majority latest records an estimated households are eligible for SCRIE or DRIE but only are as of now enrolled That means nearly percent of tenants who could be protected may still face avoidable rent hikes in the months ahead At the Office of the Taxpayer Advocate Robin Lee sees first-hand the frustration of tenants who have tried and failed to deal with complex systems When people tell us they ve given up she noted it s our responsibility to make sure the system itself isn t what s standing in their way Navigating governing body paperwork is complex even in the best of times That s why the NYC Mayor s Masses Engagement Unit PEU the NYC Office of the Taxpayer Advocate OTA and the NYC Department of Finance DOF are working together to ensure tenants like Vincent don t fall through the cracks As Jasmin Batista who leads tenant outreach at the Inhabitants Engagement Unit explains her group s approach starts on the ground meeting people where they are at their doors on their phones and in their neighborhoods No one should lose their home over bureaucracy she noted Programs like Rent Freeze only work when people can veritably access them Together PEU OTA and DOF have helped thousands of New Yorkers apply or renew their Rent Freeze benefits But thousands more remain eligible and unenrolled If you are age or older or living with a qualifying disability rent a rent-stabilized apartment and meet the income requirements you may be eligible to freeze your rent before the rent increases take effect At the Department of Finance Commissioner Preston Niblack describes Rent Freeze as one of the city s the bulk effective tools for keeping people housed Through partnerships with PEU and OTA he mentioned we re cutting through red tape and reaching tenants who might otherwise never hear about these protections Help is available right now You can call the PEU Rent Freeze Hotline at - - visit nyc gov rentfreeze or get in-person assistance at a NYC Department of Finance office Don t wait Freezing your rent in the present day could save you thousands of dollars over the years ahead More importantly it could be the key to staying in the home you love Programs like Rent Freeze don t just shield people from rising costs they protect dignity independence and the ability to age in place At a time when affordability feels increasingly out of reach that kind of stability has never been more vital Jasmin Batista is the outreach director for the Tenant Backing Unit at the NYC Mayor s Residents Engagement Unit Robin Lee is the taxpayer advocate at the NYC Office of the Taxpayer Advocate The post Opinion As Rents Rise Again Too Numerous Seniors Don t Know They Can Freeze Theirs appeared first on City Limits