A Tenant’s Courage Helps Keep a Building Rent Stabilized 

After nearly a decade of pressure and displacement tactics, tenant Ms. James—backed by LSNYC’s Brooklyn Tenant Rights Coalition (TRC)—won a decisive victory protecting her home and preserving rent stabilization at 230 Schenectady Avenue.

The New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) ruled that the landlord failed to prove the building was in serious disrepair before renovations and denied the owner’s attempt to remove the property from rent stabilization. As a result, the entire building remains rent stabilized, blocking the owner’s long-running effort to empty the building and convert apartments to market rate.

Ms. James refused to move out and, with LSNYC’s Brooklyn TRC’s sustained advocacy, fought years of nonpayment cases, harassment, and administrative challenges. LSNYC attorneys successfully dismantled the landlord’s “substantial rehabilitation” claim and forced accountability under the law.

This win is already empowering other tenants in the building to enforce their rights. Ms. James’ perseverance—paired with Legal Services NYC’s decade-long legal strategy—protected not just one tenant, but an entire building from deregulation and displacement.