New Windows Improperly Installed

Landlord applied for MCI rent hikes based on the installation of new windows with half-screens. The DRA approved the rent increases, except for 16 apartments where tenants showed that the installations were defective. Other tenants appealed, claiming that their windows also were defective and not installed in a workmanlike manner. The DHCR's records showed that 25 out of 72 tenants had complained to the DRA that their windows were installed improperly. Landlord claimed that mere caulking and adjustments were needed. A DRA inspection of 17 apartments showed that windows and screens weren't aligned properly, sashes and frames were loose and/or sticking, moldings weren't properly caulked, locks were defective, and windowpanes were cracked. Based on the apartments and windows inspected, the DHCR calculated that 24 percent of the apartments contained defective windows; at least 10 percent of the total number of windows installed were defective. The DHCR ruled that, building-wide, the windows weren't installed in a workmanlike manner, and revoked the rent increases.

160 Claremont Avenue: DHCR Adm. Rev. Dckt. Nos. GF 510226-RT et al. (8/27/93) [4-page document]