Landlord Can Replace Intercom System with 24/7 Doorman

Landlord asked the DHCR for permission to replace an old intercom/buzzer system with an upgraded intercom system to be relocated to a new doorman's station, which would be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Landlord sought no increase in rent. The DRA ruled for landlord. Tenants appealed and lost. Tenants claimed that the service modification was in fact a decrease in required services. They also said that the doorman wasn't on duty 24/7 and that when the doorman was on a break, there was no intercom access for visitors. The modified service, as approved, was an adequate substitute for the prior intercom service. If landlord was not providing the new service in accordance with the DRA's order, tenants should file a complaint based on a reduction in building-wide services.

57 West 75th Street: DHCR Adm. Rev. Docket No. YG430055RT (9/14/11) [4-pg. doc.]