Citing poor management that has led to deteriorating conditions, tenants at Tracey Towers argued against a proposal at a public hearing last month that would hike their rent by over 60 percent over the next three years.

RY Management, which operates the connected buildings, says its proposal to raise rent by 23.53 percent for this past July, again by 20.34 percent in July of 2012, and 16.9 percent for July of 2013 is necessary to cover the increased cost of fuel, insurance, and labor contracts.

At the same time, tenants allege management has ignored the twin 41-story buildings.

Some apartments near the top floors have been wrecked by water damage.

“When it rains, we pray hard,” said Margaret Mack, who lives on the 41st floor. She’s a member of the Committee for Survival and a resident since 1980. She said the windows in her apartment are “defective” and do little to keep rain out. Some of her walls are cracked and exposed.

Committee for Survival is a tenant group started in the early 1990s brought back after tenants felt the Tenant Association was not doing enough on their behalf.  But Tenant Association President Mike Konanteng said they were “fighting vigorously against,” the proposed rent hikes.

At the hearing, tenant after tenant complained of cold water, water that was too hot, or no water at all. Old windows are not keeping heat in during the winter, they said, and RY repeatedly painted over mold in bathrooms and cabinets instead of removing it.

As more evidence of mismanagement, tenants have pointed out that Tracey building 20 has over 600 standing violations. Also, Jean Hill, president of the Committee for Survival, says that management received a loan in 2006 meant for work on roofing, boilers, the façade, and elevator work.

But Hill says those problems persist. “If this boiler is brand new, why doesn’t this work properly?” she said.

The buildings have been surrounded by scaffolding for years, despite no apparent work being done. According to tenants, it costs $5,000 a month to keep the scaffolding up. RY could not confirm that figure and says the scaffolding remains for safety reasons and in preparation for work.

Youth community rooms that used to house music or Black History Month events are now musty, with leaks from exposed piping dripping onto the floor. Pigeons have taken to using the piping in the rooms for shelter. RY says the rooms are part of a renovation effort to be funded with the rent increases.

Hill says the disrepair is partly due to maintenance staff being cut down over the years. RY says there have been 30 people on the maintenance staff for more than 10 years.

RY spokesman Don Miller admitted the buildings were experiencing growing pains. In “times of peak demand, there’s a lot of pressure put on the system, but the upgrades will help alleviate the problems in the long run,” he said.

The buildings operate under Mitchell-Lama, a program designed to keep rent affordable for lower- and middle-class income residents. That means rent increases must be approved by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD).

As of press time, HPD was still waiting on a report from an accountant the tenants association hired to look through RY’s books. HPD will accept materials relating to Tracey Towers until the end of August, with a decision on the increase coming this fall, said an HPD spokesman.

At the hearing, Councilman Oliver Koppell said the level of the rent increases were unprecedented.

“This is the largest request for an increase that I’ve ever seen” for Mitchell-Lama developments, Koppell said. He said some increases were necessary, bu t that “people will be out on the street” if RY’s proposal goes through.

Miller says the company disagrees with Koppell’s assessment, and emphasized that the company’s books were open.

Tenants took issue with what they called “cosmetic fixes” RY had put in place in the days leading up to the hearing with HPD. They had placed flowers around common areas and painted walls. They replaced a door that tenants said would swing violently open and shut. Tenant Betty Woodard called the changes, “an insult to the tenants.”

RY says the rent at Tracey is cheaper than other Mitchell-Lama housing, and would still be one of the cheaper Mitchell-Lamas even after the rent increases have come into full effect.

“We’re just looking to maintain acceptable levels of service to keep Tracey affordable and ensure the safety of residents and guests,” Miller said.

The last time management and tenants battled over a rent increase, RY won a 29 percent increase over three years from 2004 to 2006.