DHCR Decisions          DOCKET NO.:  DC 910452-RO                                 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. DC 910452-RO                                           :   DRO DOCKET NO. 35060            CORONET PROPERTIES CO.                          BY DOYLE, DOHERTY & FLEISHELL,     :                             PETITIONERS     --------------------------------------X                       ORDER AND OPINION DENYING PETITION FOR ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW     On or about March 31, 1989 the above-named  owner  filed  a  petition  for     administrative review of an  order  issued  on  February  23,  1989  by  a     District Rent Administrator concerning the housing accommodation known  as     Apartment 32  at  455  North  Broadway,  Yonkers,  New  York  wherein  the     Administrator determined that the tenant had been overcharged.     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.     This proceeding was commenced by the filing of a rent overcharge complaint     by the tenant, on August 24, 1984.     The tenant took occupancy pursuant  to  a  one-year  lease  commencing  on     December 15, 1982 and expiring on December 31, 1983 at a monthly  rent  of     $400 for first six months and $412 a month for second six months.     In its answer the owner stated that it did not  have  the  lease  for  the     subject premises, but did  not  send  to  the  administrator  all  of  the     Steinhardt's leases from 1982 thru 1987 vacancy.     In the order under review herein, the Administrator found that  the  owner     had failed to submit a complete rental history, determined that the  legal     regulated rent  would  be  established  by  using  the  Tenant  Protection     Regulations rent roll procedure; established the legal regulated rent  for     the tenant's vacancy lease at $350.00 per month, in  accordance  with  the     default procedure,  and  computed  total  overcharges  in  the  amount  of     $9,713.44.     In his petition for review the owner asserts that he  never  received  the     previous leases from the prior owner,  but  that  the  Steinhardt's  first     1982 lease alleging that the prior (unnamed) tenant allegedly paid $381.00     a month.  The  petitioner  therefore  argue  that  the  overcharge  wasn't     wilful as he relied on the rent history as received from prior owner.     The owner also  challenges  the  room  count  of  3  rooms  found  by  the     DOCKET NO.:  DC 730162-RO     Administrator.  The owner claims there are 4 rooms as per his  floor  plan     and applicable statutes.     The tenant who had vacated on December  31,  1987,  with  current  address     unknown, did not submit an answer to the petition.     The Commissioner is of the opinion that this petition should be denied.     The record indicates that although demand  was  made  upon  the  owner  to     submit the subject apartment base date lease, the owner failed  to  submit     such evidence.  The fact that this owner had acquired this building  after     the base date did not excuse it from complying with the  demand;  in  this     respect a new owner steps into the shoes  of  a  former  owner  and  fully     undertakes the obligation to produce all  leases  and  other  evidence  of     stabilized apartment's rental history on demand of the rent agency, as set     forth ETPA.  Accordingly, it is found that the failure  of  the  owner  to     submit the demanded evidence warranted a finding of default.     Since the owner failed to supply the administrator  with  complete  rental     records from 1980 the Commissioner finds that the administrator  correctly     calculated the lawful stabilized rent of  the  complaining  tenant  to  be     $350.00 upon his commencement of occupancy.     As for the owner's assertion that the Rent Administrator should accept the     statement of prior rental amount per clause 35 at  $381.00.   No  name  of     alleged prior tenant is supplied.       Said clause is considered self serving of the prior owner  and  is  not  a     sufficient substitute for the actual prior  lease  which  is  required  by     statute as proof of prior rent.     THEREFORE, in accordance with Emergency  Tenant  Protection  Act  and  the     Tenant Protection Regulations, it is     ORDERED, that this petition be, and the same hereby is,  denied  and  that     the District Rent Administrator's  order  be,  and  the  same  hereby  is,     affirmed; and it is     FURTHER ORDERED, that the owner, Coronet Properties Co. shall  immediately     refund  to  the  tenant  all  amounts  not   yet   refunded   representing     overcharges, penalties, and excess security deposit; and it is     FURTHER ORDERED, that if  the  owner,  Coronet  Properties  Co.  have  not     refunded any such amounts upon the expiration of the  period  for  seeking     judicial review of  this  order  pursuant  to  Article  78  of  the  Civil     Practice Law and Rules, the tenant, Meyer Steinhardt may file and  enforce     a certified copy of this order as a judgment for the  amount  of  9,713.44     against Coronet Properties Co.     ISSUED:                                                                                                                                   JOSEPH A. D'AGOSTA                                                 Acting Deputy Commissioner