ADM. APPEAL DOCKET NO.: BI 110190 RT

                                  STATE OF NEW YORK
                      DIVISION OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY RENEWAL
                            OFFICE OF RENT ADMINISTRATION
                                     GERTZ PLAZA
                               92-31 UNION HALL STREET
                               JAMAICA, NEW YORK 11433

          ------------------------------------X 
          IN THE MATTER OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE :  ADMINISTRATIVE APPEAL
          APPEAL OF                              DOCKET NO.:               
                                                 BI 110190 RT 
                                              :
                                                 DRO DOCKET NO.:           
                                                 49216                      
             ANGELA VACCARINO
                                             
                                                  

                              PETITIONER      : 
          ------------------------------------X                             

              ORDER AND OPINION GRANTING ADMINISTRATIVE APPEAL IN PART

               
               On September  9,  1987,  the  above-named  petitioner-tenant
          filed an Administrative Appeal against an order issued on  August
          12, 1987, by the District Rent Administrator,  92-31  Union  Hall
          Street, Jamaica, New York, concerning the housing  accommodations
          known as 264-05 73rd Avenue, Glen Oaks, New York,  Apartment  No.
          1.

               The issue herein is whether the District Rent  Administrator
          properly determined the services the owner is  obligated  to  and
          does provide to the tenant in the subject  building  and  whether
          the registration statement was properly amended to reflect  those
          services. 

               The Commissioner has reviewed all of  the  evidence  in  the
          record and has carefully considered that portion  of  the  record
          relevant to the issues raised by the administrative appeal.  

               On October  2,  1984,  the  tenant  commenced  the  original
          proceeding by filing with the Division a tenant's objection  form
          to the services registration statement filed by the owner.  The 
          tenant alleged that the owner did not include therein a number of 
          apartment and building services.  Specifically, the tenant stated 
          that the owner omitted a  stove,  refrigerator,  shades,  garage,




          linoleum, toilet seat,  light  fixtures,  screens,  extermination
          services, and a master antenna outlet as apartment  services  and
          electricity, storage space, front desk, exterior door locks, 
          benches, exterior lighting, snow removal and  salting,  security,
          landscaping, parking spaces, outside water-spigots, clotheslines, 
          and community rooms as building-wide services.  The  tenant  also
          filed a fair market rent appeal.  







          ADM. APPEAL DOCKET NO.: BI 110190 RT
               In answer to the tenant's  objections,  the  owner  asserted
          that a stove and refrigerator are provided  with  the  apartment;
          electricity is not required to  be  registered;  shades  are  not
          provided; storage space outside the apartment  is  not  provided;
          garages are the property of the co-op corporation;  there  is  no
          front  desk;  linoleum,  toilet  seat,  fixtures,  screens,   and
          exterminator are provided with the apartment; and  exterior  door
          locks, benches, parking, community rooms, snow removal, security, 
          landscaping, outside water spigots, and clotheslines are provided 
          by the co-op  corporation  for  the  common  areas  and  are  not
          required to be listed on the apartment registration.   

               On August 12, 1987, the District Rent  Administrator  issued
          an order in which it amended the registration to include a stove, 
          refrigerator, window shades, luggage room and screens.   It  also
          noted that the right of rent stabilized tenants  to  rent  garage
          space was established in an earlier order (Docket  Nos.  57577-B,
          58299-B and 62622-B issued on July 8, 1985).  The  tenant's  fair
          market rent appeal was dismissed based  on  a  finding  that  the
          subject  apartment  has  been   continuously   under   the   Rent
          Stabilization Law since that law went into effect. 

               In the petition for Administrative Review, the tenant  urges
          that the Administrator's order should be amended to  include  all
          the items contained in the original  objection  form  or  specify
          which do not need to be listed because they are  either  required
          by law or fall within the definition of normal maintenance.

               The  Commissioner  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  tenant's
          petition should be granted in part.

               According to Section 2528.1 of the Rent Stabilization  Code,
          an owner was required  to  register  all  housing  accommodations
          subject to the Rent Stabilization Law on April  1,  1984  and  to
          include in that registration all services  provided  for  in  the
          last lease  or  provided  or  required  to  be  provided  on  the
          applicable  base  date  or  thereafter.   No   service   may   be
          discontinued except by mutual agreement between the owner and the 
          tenant and the approval  of  the  Division  with  an  appropriate
          adjustment in the rent. 


               Required services are defined by Section  2520.6(r)  of  the
          Code and include ancillary services for which there is a separate 
          charge.

               Applying these principles  to  the  instant  proceeding  the
          Commissioner finds that electricity for common and exterior areas 
          and exterminator services are required by law and did not have to 
          be  listed  on  the   registration.    Snow   removal,   salting,
          landscaping, security and a front desk do not have to  be  listed
          on  the  registration  since  they  are  apartment  and  building
          maintenance requirements.

               As for benches, parking spaces and community meeting  rooms,
          the owner has not denied that these are services provided to  the
          apartment or building on the applicable base date.  The fact that 
          some of them may be provided by the co-op  corporation  does  not
          relieve the owner of the obligation to include these items on the 






          ADM. APPEAL DOCKET NO.: BI 110190 RT
          registration  and  to  assure   their   continued   availability.
          Accordingly, the registration should be amended to reflect  these
          facts.

               The owner has also not denied that  toilet  seats,  exterior
          door locks, linoleum, light fixtures  in  public  areas,  outside
          water spigots, and clotheslines are provided.   However,  because
          of the minor nature of these items, the Commissioner  finds  that
          they do not have to be specifically listed  on  the  registration
          statements.  They are required services, though, and any  attempt
          to eliminate  these  items  will  be  justification  for  a  rent
          reduction  application.   Any   prior   order   issued   by   the
          Commissioner finding that these services  had  to  be  registered
          were the result of the owner's attempt to disclaim liability  for
          these items.  In order to be  consistent  with  this  order,  the
          prior orders should be construed  as  finding  that  these  minor
          services are required to be provided but need not be registered.

               The  Commissioner  notes  that   the   issues   of   whether
          playgrounds, storage space and front  desk/maintenance  crew  are
          required services and whether these services are  being  provided
          by the owner are the subjects of  other  proceedings  filed  with
          this  agency  and  the  parties  are  advised  to  refer  to  the
          determinations made or to be made in those proceedings (FH 130079 
          RT and FH 130037 RO, e.g.)

               THEREFORE, in accordance with the Rent Stabilization Law and 
          Code, it is





               ORDERED, that this  petition  be  and  the  same  hereby  is
          granted in part and that the Administrator's  order  be  and  the
          same hereby is modified as provided hereinabove.

          ISSUED:









                                                                        
                                          JOSEPH A. D'AGOSTA
                                          Acting Deputy Commissioner




                                                    

    

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