New York City tenants pay $500/month in rent after outing their landlord’s illegal scheme, end up with a $30,000 payout and a rent-controlled apartment: ‘We are staying here forever’ – FAIL Blog

We love New York. 

The only reason people don’t end up staying in NYC and living there forever is that they’re likely priced out of the market. It’s understandably expensive because it’s so magical and mysterious in the city, so landlords can get away with highway robbery, charging $3000+ for a closet-sized apartment infested with rats. Alas, despite this battle of supply and demand, New York City has a few pockets of hope in buildings with rent control. Few and far between, these are the pure and perfect housing zones where residents aren’t charged astronomically, often enjoying the same rent price they’ve been paying since the 80s. 

As you would imagine, these are very competitive accommodations. 

However, every once in a while, the stars will align for some fatefully lucky NYC resident, bestowing upon them a rent-controlled apartment and access to the city without breaking the bank. A man and his girlfriend recently scored the NYC lottery (the REAL one, not the one with lotto tickets at the bodega), when they found out their apartment was in a rent-controlled building. Not only was their landlord overcharging them for years, resulting in $30k in backpay, but from this point onward, their 1-bedroom apartment in an extremely high-cost-of-living area would only be $500 per month. 

I guess that means they can never move anywhere else.