Rent Reduced to $1 per Month After Fire

Rent-stabilized tenant complained of a reduction in services after a fire rendered his apartment uninhabitable. The DRA ruled for tenant and reduced his rent to $1 per month until landlord restored the apartment to a livable condition. Landlord appealed and lost. Landlord claimed that a provision in tenant's lease permitted landlord to terminate the lease under these circumstances. But a rent-stabilized tenant remains protected by the law and is entitled to return to the apartment as long as he continues to pay the reduced monthly rent ordered by the agency.

Sarah Lawrence College: DHCR Adm. Rev. Docket No. ZA910075RO (10/21/11) [2-pg. doc.]