New York: “Manhattan renters facing tougher times as apartment choices dwindle, landlords cut incentives,” by Phyllis Furman, New York Daily News, July 8, 2010
Manhattan apartment renters are finding it way harder to nab a sweet deal.
The era of big concessions from landlords, falling rents and tons of apartment choices is fading fast, according to two reports due out today.
While the city’s unemployment rate remains high, rebounding consumer confidence and pent-up demand has many renters rushing to sign leases – emboldening some landlords to play hardball again.
“The dark days of a year ago are a thing of the past,” said Gary Malin, president of rental brokerage firm Citi Habitats.
Rental prices for Manhattan apartments during April, May and June of this year rose compared with the previous quarter, according to Citi Habitats’ report.
State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo filed lawsuits Tuesday against several landlords in Brooklyn that he says discriminated against applicants.
Cuomo says the owners and managers of apartment complexes on Ocean Parkway violated the Federal Fair Housing Act by turning away black applicants.
According to an undercover investigation, the landlords would tell the prospective renters apartments were unavailable or they had to fill out paperwork and make an appointment.
During the same time, white renters were allowed to view apartments immediately.
NY1 has reached out to management for comment.
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Paris: “To Address Its Housing Shortage, Paris Cracks Down on Pied-à-Terre Rentals,” by Jean Rafferty, The New York Times, July 6, 2010
Many people buy a pied-à-terre in Paris to use for a few weeks a year and to rent the rest of the time. Most of them don’t realize, however, that they are breaking the law. Now, the city government is trying to address the problem with a more direct approach to enforcement.
Mayor Bertrand Delanoë ordered an agency last year to warn property owners that renting out residential apartments for less than a year at a time violated French law. The move was intended to address the lack of affordable housing in the city center. Those who ignored the warning, he said, would be prosecuted.
California: “What can renters do if their landlord is facing foreclosure?” by Jennifer Davies, San Diego Union-Tribune, July 5, 2010
You’ve been paying your rent dutifully month after month and even started a little garden in the backyard. Now, there’s a notice on the front door saying your place is in foreclosure. Even though you’re a renter, you’ve now been unwittingly pulled into the housing crisis.
It’s hardly a unique scenario.
In 2009, around 37 percent of all foreclosures in California were rental properties affecting more than 200,000 people, according to Tenants Together, a renters’ rights group.
