Dear Friends,

The NYC Department of Finance has just released new and enhanced Rent Freeze Program application forms. Some enhancements include larger font, an income worksheet, an eligibility checklist, and frequently asked questions (FAQs).

I especially like that the new documents have a clear definition of “Household,” which, as we know, does not include roommates/boarders who are not related to the tenant. Tenants with roommates often wonder just what information about the roommate needs to be included in SCRIE paperwork; the answer is: not much. (When a tenant divulges “household income” in a SCRIE application, the tenant does not need to provide the name or any other information about a roommate; the tenant just needs to divulge how much money he or she receives in rent from the roommate — that’s it.)

Here are the new forms (click on a form title to download the form):

SCRIE Forms

• SCRIE Initial Application Packet
• SCRIE Rent Stabilized Renewal
• SCRIE Rent Controlled Renewal
• SCRIE SRO/Hotel Renewal
• SCRIE/DRIE Benefit Takeover

DRIE Forms

• DRIE Initial Application Packet
• DRIE Rent Stabilized Renewal
• DRIE Rent Controlled Renewal
• DRIE Mitchell Lama Renewal (the NYC Dep’t of Housing Preservation & Development [HPD] administers Mitchell-Lama SCRIE)
• DRIE SRO/Hotel Renewal
• SCRIE/DRIE Benefit Takeover

And click here for the Rent Freeze website.

All the best,
Alex