This week we asked readers their thoughts on a recent public hearing by the Rent Guidelines Board to determine whether to increase rents, despite already indicating it will raise rents by 1 to 3 percent once it’s official.

Tenants need to know that there’s a [Department of Housing Community and Renewal] office in every borough. The one in the Bronx is at One Fordham Plaza, on the second floor. There you can find out if they are violating your rights when you move into an apartment, you can find out how much interest the landlord can charge when you move out or when they make repairs and if the building is insured or if they’re hiking up your rent too much. And I think that’s something that’s important for the public to know. I do think the hike is fair.
Monica Hester
Belmont

They should raise it at least a percent or two because the cost of everything is going up, but not too much; not more than two and a half percent. You can see in Home Depot that everything is going up. Property tax, water; everything is going up to maintain property. I’m just looking at both sides of the issue. It shouldn’t be like that. Have the hearing and then vote and decide.
Quan Lei

 

Well, that doesn’t make any sense to me. I’ve been in the Bronx for five years and nothing gets done. It almost seems as if they want it that way. Doing real politics is saying everything without doing a thing, it’s how politics works. I agree with the increase because the cost of living in New York does go up and the landlord needs to make repairs. What I don’t understand is why my hot water has been off for the last three days, how come no signs are put up or [why] we’re not given any notice.
Alan Craig
Concourse Village

I am totally against that and urge everyone to call our council members, [Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.], and all the other officials and tell them there should be another hearing because this is unfair. They are taking away half of the funding for seniors and young children in the Bronx as it is. We need people to get together.
Kathleen Dunlea
Riverdale

 

I think it should be up to the people, but now they’re taking the power out of the people’s hands. They are taking away our freedom of speech. People should have a say because we put those officials in office, but once they get into office they forget about the people. I do think it’s too much. It’s just like the train [fare]: it keeps going up and you don’t see any difference. There’s only one thing that goes up and never comes down, and that’s inflation.
Al Right
Hunts Point