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Protect Rent-Stabilized Housing!

Join a city wide rally to demand that state politicians close the vacancy decontrol loophole.

When the rent in a vacant apartment can be raised to $2,000 a month, landlords can raise the rent to ANYTHING they want. This is known as "vacancy decontrol." The state legislature can end this, saving 100,000 regulated apartments already on the verge.

The Williamsburg & Greenpoint neighborhoods face skyrocketing rents. Through vacancy decontrol, landlords drive out tenants from the neighborhoods where they have spent their lives, charging new tenants inflated rents. This affects everyone in the community, from long term residents to newly arrived neighbors.

Vacancy decontrol will eventually lead to the total loss of rent regulation in NYC, many from our own neighborhood. More than 50,000 rent-regulated apartments were lost in NYC between 2005 and 2008. 100,000 additional apartments on on the verge of deregulation right now.

Vacancy decontrol encourages landlords in regulated buildings to everything possible to make tenants move out and raise rents. Landlords harass tenants and neglect repairs, pushing tenants to move out and allowing landlords to further increase the rent.

The campaign to repeal vacancy decontrol has been hard fought over the years. Last year, the Assembly voted to repeal vacancy decontrol. This year, both the Senate and the Assembly have to pass the bill. Now that the Senate has turned Democrat, the battle is winable and renters can push the Legislature to repeal vacancy decontrol. However, even with the Senate controled by Democrats, overturning vacancy decontrol is an uphill fight. In this year's election, real estate developers and landlords increased the amount they gave to Senate democrats by 15 times over the last race.

Join tenants from around the city in coming together at an important rally to demand the end of vacancy decontrol.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008 from 6:30-8:30pm @ Society for Ethical Culture
2 W.64th St., and Central Park West.
1 train to 66th St; A,B,C,D to Columbus Circle
To jump on a bus from Williamsburg, contact NAG:
ryan@nag-brooklyn.org or 718.384.2248