Facade Work Done Piecemeal, Not as Unified Project

Landlord applied for MCI rent hikes based on facade work. The DRA ruled against landlord, finding that the front facade repair and exterior work on three sides of the building wasn't planned as a unified project, but was done in a piecemeal manner, and therefore considered repairs. Landlord appealed and lost. Landlord claimed that it simply used two contractors for the work because it was more cost effective for a window contractor to also do the exterior work on the front facade. But landlord didn't show that the original scope of the work to be performed involved the comprehensive exterior renovation of the building done under a unified preconceived plan.

137 East 66th Street: DHCR Adm. Rev. Docket No. VG410013RO (3/14/12) [2-pg. doc.]