No Individual Apartment Improvement Increase for Oak Floors

Landlord asked if replacement of parquet flooring with new oak wood floors in a rent-stabilized apartment would qualify as an individual apartment improvement subject to a 1/40th rent increase. In an opinion letter, the DHCR said no. Replacing parquet flooring by oak flooring, even with subflooring, wasn't a 1/40th improvement. The existing parquet flooring was presumably made of oak or some other hardwood. And the building in question was less than seven years old. The proposed improvement was merely the replacement of one relatively new floor with another.

DHCR Opinion Letter (1/26/09; Fewer) [3-pg. doc.]