New-York tribune., 1920-08-09
Higher Rents,
Fewer Flats.
Seen i'm Fall
Continued from page ens)

!. 'iiI IeHleT SHOWS disposition to
resist the demands the leases are with
drawn and process of eviction begun
under pretexts which the new laws
leave open. Justice Robitzek has al
ready signed 10000 such final eviction
orders IN the Bronx, effective next
spring. Unless the Legislature in the
mean time adopts remedial measures
these people will be thrown out of their
homes with absolutely no legal re-.
course.
Landlords Want Property
1t can be seen that the city is facing
situation unparalleled in all its his
tory when 1T is known that in more
than 80 per cent Of the cases now com
ing before the municipal court justices
for trial the landlord is asking for pos
session of his property The courts
are averaging between 200 and 800
such cases day, and the Bronx court
IS known to have had as many as 1900
cases on its calendar for one day.
IN a number of cases the municipal
court Justices are persraGing the
owner to accept a reasonable advance.
In the majority Of the cases, however,
there is no question of higher or
lower rental. The landlords insist on
possession OF their property and the
justices usually grant stays of two or
three months to a year
What will' become of the old tenant
then IS question that is now bother
ing the authorities and which will be
discussed in another place.
Another class of tenant is going to
the Mayors Committee on Rent Prof
teering for relief The army of these
complaints has been growing steadily
larger and larger until now the COM
mittee is called upon to handle 500
complaints a day Mr.. Hilly says that
more than 100000 of these cases have
come before the committee within the
last year, and that $4,000 cases have
been handled since April of this
year.
Tenant Faces Eviction
The tenant in this instance has his
landlord summoned to the Offices of
the committee in the Municipal Build
ing for a discussion of the matter. AS
a general rule the owner asks for an
increase of so per cent, and is finally
persuaded to take 25 per cent. 1t is
difficult for the tenant to prove that
this is more than fair return on the
value of the property, as he has no
access to the owners accounts, If the
tenant is willing to accept this ar
rangemcnt the matter is settled. In
many cases he can't see his way clear
to do SO and has to face an eviction
process In the courts.
Most of the trouble here it seems,
arises from tho misnterprctaticn on
the part of the landlord of the rule
limiting his increase to 25 per cent, if
tins is found necessary to grant him
tar return on his investment. The
difhculty OF arriving at this fair return
under the existing regulations is
troubling the authorities.
Mr.. Hjlly asserts, however, that the
number OF complainarts appearing be-
fore his committee is a mere scratch
on the surface of the great army of
dlScontented hOuseholders who are re-
fusing to sign the leases offered them
and are waiting to see what is going
to happen. The situation is thus be-
coming more desperate than ever, with
the owner unable to grant possession
to newcomers who are willing to NEE.
his price because he doesn't know what
the old tenant is going to do.
Few Apartments Vacant
The trouble appears at It's worst in
the West Side Washington Heights
and the Bronx sections. In the West
Side district inquiry disclosed there
were fewer than 100 vacant housekeep-
ing apartments to be had at the pres
ent time.
While the owners and agents declare
their boosts are not much more than
20 per cent, it was learned from the
tenants that most of the increases were
from so to 100 per cent and some even
higher. There were few apartments in
this section to be had for less than
$4,000 a year. Under normal condi-
tlons there were always at least 900
available.
Slawson & Hobbs, 1862 West Seventy
second Street, had twenty-five house
keeping apartments to offer, with Il
few bachelor apartments in converted
dwellings,. There were few for less
than So 900 a year. Earle & Calhoun,
PIP West seventv-second Street, had
twenty apartments out of normal
200. member of the firm declared
there was great uncertainty as to the
} disposal of a large number of accom-
modations handled by it because Of
the attitude of the tenants. The
prices of those available, it was said,
ranged from $840 to $4,000 a year, and
the increases were not much more
than 25 per cent"
Inc, had only eighteen to twenty
suites ranging from $50 to $50 a
month, with increases of about 25 per
cent on all apartments held by this
firm" Frederick Zittel e. Sons,
Seventy ninth Street and Broadway
who usually have $50 to 800 suites,
| had only twenty-five to offer, ranging
from 81 900 to $1,000 a year A mcm-
Der of the firm declared they were
asking from 50 to 100 per cent more
! for their apartments, depending upon
| the kind of leases their tenants held.
Must Accept Additional Burdens
better supply of quarters could be-
had in the Park Avenue section above
the $4,000 figure, with about fifty
, apartments available In the fall it
, was said there would be nothing at all
for rent here beyond an occasional
, bachelor apartment.
In addition to the increases, some
tenants are receiving leases with
clauses compelling them to accept ad-
dltlonal burdens In one house, besides
having their rent raised from 25 to 80
| per cent, the tenants are asked to meet
out of their own pockets any increase
in the price of coal beyond $12 during
the term of the lease. Some of these
leases also contained a clause in effect
praising the landlord for his modest
demands and acknowledging the boosts
as fair and just"
A contributing factor to the strin-
gent housing conditions is the growing
tendency among real estate men to at
tempt to dispose Of their holdings on
the cooperative plan. whereby the ten
ant shares ownership in the building