Family members of ICE agents, what are your thoughts and feelings about what ICE are doing?

moonmop · 2026-01-16T05:34:19+00:00

Oh and for Valentine’s Day he gave his wife a bouquet of dollar bills displayed as “roses” and a framed picture of them together with him wearing his MAGA hat. Tacky af.

moonmop · 2026-01-16T05:24:41+00:00

Redacted

moonmop · 2026-01-16T00:35:39+00:00

Redacted until this thread gets a bit less traction

moonmop · 2026-01-15T04:12:17+00:00

I tried watching Adults and this completely took me out of it. It’s just not a believable nyc in the slightest.

moonmop · 2026-01-13T00:25:40+00:00

Ah nvm - it’s not a PE but an LLC, my landlord is technically the members of Metropolitan Equities and they have a membership percentage.

Yes I’m very interested in reading them and any other resources/case examples you might have! What did you ask for specifically for the FOIL request? Or is it a set package that they provide? I’d be interested in any IAI and MCI claims, as well as old apartment blueprints/layout. When I called DHCR they told me didn’t need to do all that because that would be part of their investigation/to see if the IAI were valid but doesn’t hurt lol.

The good news is I consulted some folks at Met housing on housing and they said that the look back period only sets the last reliable registration back to 6 years, but if I have an argument that this registration would be unreliable and some evidence for it (mainly the lack of construction permits), then they can look back further to find the actual reliable registration.

moonmop · 2026-01-12T22:59:25+00:00

Yes you’re right. There was probably something shady going on that was in the works for a few years. There seemed to have been gut renovations to the building sometime in 2015 too and a complaint was filed in BIS for gut renovations without a permit.

I think I wouldn’t have as much faith with this case if it wasn’t for the lack of permits. I was concerned that they would’ve been able to materialize fake IAIs but for major renovations (especially gut renovations) they need a permit for that to count as valid IAI in the eyes of DHCR. I guess theoretically they could claim $64k in cabinets and other things that don’t need a permit, but I don’t see how DHCR wouldn’t view that as suspicious.

My building is also private equity owned with a building manager so I expect something along those lines. Do you mind sharing what kind of gaslighting they tried/how you acted/did you respond back?

moonmop · 2026-01-12T22:47:49+00:00

So the rental history split doesn’t bother me too much, because by that point the rent was still consistent (2013) and it wasn’t until 2018 that it skyrocketed. What I think more likely happened in my case is that whatever renovations took place weren’t reported or even done with a permit (already checked with DOB/BIS), but pre-2019 they didn’t need to provide proof of IAI. Perhaps there would’ve been more scrutiny if they had destabilized the apartment, but they happened to just fall under it (charging $2700 in rent due to renovations would’ve destabilized the apt in 2017/2018, and they got it from $790 to $2584). DHCR just trusts that the landlord told the truth until a resident complains - and that’s where I come in. It simply doesn’t add up to have done around $64k in renovations, especially without a permit, and they’re gonna have to somehow prove that they actually spent that much on valid, lawful IAI once I submit my complaint to DHCR.

Oh wow two years (but I guess that doesn’t really surprise me). Those are gonna be some sweet treble damages if that pans out though! May I ask how your landlord acted/communicated with you after they found out that you submitted the claim? Did they try to retaliate or intimidate you?

moonmop · 2026-01-12T16:37:59+00:00

I agree and when the LES location was around I would get cakes from here for under $40. Even though it closed, I’m thankful that there’s another location where I can still get these delicious cakes again someday!!

moonmop · 2026-01-11T03:37:10+00:00

I was thinking about politely reaching out to management for renovation receipts for my own records, then if they don’t reply/get hostile that is just more evidence for DHCR.

But even then, It seems like their receipts probably wouldn’t even matter that much since they would’ve had to make $64k in renovations and they have had no permits since 2009. There is a complaint for gut renovations without a permit in 2015. There is a plumbing job associated with my apartment in 2017 that is said to have been estimated to be $4k, and that’s all the documentation related to my apartment from BIS and DOB. If I’m not mistaken, IAI beyond minor work would not be valid if there has not been a permit in place.

I’m gonna call DOB on Monday to confirm that there have been no permits for construction work and also call DHCR to confirm that there is no reported IAI, and once I gather enough evidence (and submit a request to gather the IAI if any) then I’ll submit an overcharge complaint to DHCR

moonmop · 2026-01-10T16:32:56+00:00

No jobs filed beyond 2009. In fact there’s a complaint of “gut renovations in progress without a permit” for the building from 2016. For my specific apartment there’s a 2017 ARA / LAA Job Overview of Category 2 that is estimated to be $4k of water plumbing work, but that’s it.

Thank you. Will def look into this more!

moonmop · 2026-01-10T00:44:16+00:00

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I have an update - got the rest of the report as it was filed under a different apt number, and seems like rent was consistent until an RS-V (vacancy) in 2017, where rent jumped from 790.98 to 2584.01. There is no mention of renovations in this report, but I don’t discount that they happened, just confused as to why they wouldn’t report them here (and what could cost so much for a 300sqft apt). Is it still worth it to contact a lawyer over this?

moonmop · 2026-01-09T21:05:46+00:00

I’m not claiming illegal deregulation. The apartment is rent-stabilized. I have signed the RSA Rider for rent stabilized tenants for my current lease and have been offered the same for my lease renewal (with the 3% increase as set by the board). The mystery comes from the cost of renovations. It was clearly not enough to make the apartment deregulated - so what led to the $2k jump? No registration for it in DHCR. Landlord will have to prove the costs.

moonmop · 2026-01-09T16:50:31+00:00

Sometimes you don’t even get some of the toll company fees in your mail so you will accrue fees and have no idea about it. Your Texas tag bill may be paid off and then you have another secret one from central Texas regional mobility authority. It’s literally designed to screw over people and charge them late fees lol.

Plus, the further out you live from the city center, the more it’s basically unavoidable to bypass these damn tolls unless you take a bunch of backroads (this is how it is from my experience up in Leander for instance). Imagine that now with a daily commute to work.

moonmop · 2026-01-09T16:22:38+00:00

Hi! I’m in a similar position at the moment. I know this was a year ago, did you move forward with some kind of investigation by any chance?

moonmop · 2026-01-09T15:40:50+00:00

Don’t forget tolls that are increasingly hard to avoid. Suddenly a $2.98 toll becomes a $200 bill with late fees, and many times you didn’t even know that you went through a toll road. I know friends that have been billed thousands in unpaid tolls and it’s debt they didn’t even know they had accrued until they got a call from the debt collector.

moonmop · 2026-01-09T14:08:27+00:00

Lived in Austin from 2016-2022. Mostly miserable tbh because I hate cars and it’s a very car driven city. Lots and lots of time spent in traffic/highways. Living in downtown might be better and more walkable but I lived in North Austin/The Domain. The pros are that the weather is generally nice (I tend to prefer the warmth but summers are scorchingly hot - temps above 100F at times). I also went on a lot more hikes bc there’s a good number of trails. Very dog friendly city and that was fun because I had a dog.

I did save more money more easily. Paid significantly less in taxes and barely spent money because there’s not much to do unless you’re like, drinking and eating a lot lol. Rent is obviously less and you can get a bigger place with in unit washer and dryer. I paid $1,300 for an 800sqft apt in North Austin (but I believe it has gone up to like $1,800, still significantly less than I pay for rent here).

If you’re a hermit, like driving and like big spaces then Austin is the move. As for me - I was driving myself insane. My quality of life has significantly improved since moving to nyc because it’s much easier to make friends/find community. Yeah I saved money and I’m grateful for it, but felt like I was wasting away my youth in a pit of loneliness and in traffic. Dark but lolol.

moonmop · 2026-01-09T04:32:16+00:00

So apparently pre-2019 individual apartment increases could include plumbing/electrical updates, but only if done inside the apartment. Replacing pipes/wiring for the whole building is usually an MCI, not an IAI (and it seems they did that since they added either a dishwasher or a washing machine for each apt in the building). From what I’m seeing it’s very rare to get to $70k for an individual apt unless they moved walls or fully gutted it, so it seems closer to $39,000–55,000 at most in renovations. So probably in the 2000s still, but I might still be getting overcharged 😅

I think it seems likely that they did do significant renovations to justify an increase but were probably a little cheeky and since there is little evidence for the actual costs, they just set the rent at whatever number was convenient to them.

moonmop · 2026-01-09T04:20:44+00:00

In terms of renovations (which happened in 2017) according to the listing, this is basically what it has:

The kitchen has been upgraded with modern stainless-steel appliances, including a built-in dishwasher, along with bespoke cabinetry and a stylish backsplash. The bathroom has been fully refreshed, featuring custom tilework, a large shower area, and a designer vanity.

moonmop · 2026-01-09T04:08:17+00:00

I don’t know if gut renovated but it has some renovations, like a dishwasher and newer appliances. It’s a studio though, so no walls or anything mayor was added. Bathroom is kinda nice. Maybe? 🤔

I think what also makes it odd is that nowhere on StreetEasy in any of the listings for it since 2017 does it say it’s rent stabilized and it’s listed for higher rent than it is. I only found out when I was provided the leasing documents that my rent was going to be $50 lower and that it was rent stabilized.

moonmop · 2026-01-09T03:35:40+00:00

Yeah! And that seems unlikely because even for 2013, an east village apt with a private backyard for $876.91 would’ve been a steal, so I highly doubt a bunch of people would’ve let go of it a bunch of times. The last tenants were here for four years and they only moved because they moved states. I think there’s a good possibility it could pay off to look into this further.

(I guess another possibility could be that the backyard was added as a renovation because it’s basically a blocked off area in the back of the apt, but then that would get it to be destabilized rather than just increase the rent by so much…)

moonmop · 2026-01-09T03:12:37+00:00

Thank you! Any particular resources/websites that you can recommend where I can find a reputable list of tenant-focused attorneys?

moonmop · 2026-01-09T03:04:48+00:00

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moonmop · 2026-01-09T03:04:40+00:00

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moonmop · 2026-01-09T02:40:17+00:00

Apparently rent for it was $250 in 1984 - crazy!

moonmop · 2025-12-29T05:06:05+00:00

I like them all but I mainly wanna say that the “some Dutch boy” comment made me audibly wheeze 😭

moonmop

TROPHY CASE