Landlord Replaced Apartment Door to Garage Roof with Windows

Rent-stabilized tenant complained of a reduction in services after landlord removed a door from the apartment leading to a garage roof area and replaced it with a window. The DRA ruled for tenant, finding that this apartment alteration reduced required services and reducing tenant's rent. In a separate case, the DHCR ruled that replacement of the door with a window resulted in the loss of tenant's long-term access to the patio/garage roof. The DRA granted a permanent rent reduction of $75 for this loss of service. Landlord appealed the service reduction order and lost.  Landlord materially altered the apartment by removing the secondary door and replacing it with double hung windows. This was a decrease in services since tenant no longer enjoyed the use of the secondary door he had been using for many years.

Brussels Leasing: DHCR Adm. Rev. Docket No. GW110007RP (5/9/19) [2-pg. doc.]