FG410041RT

                                  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  S.J.R. NO. 7421
          IN THE MATTER OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE :  ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW
          APPEAL OF                              DOCKET NO. FG410041RT
                                              :  DRO DOCKET NO.ZDC410314R
               KENNY HAWCO     

                                PETITIONER    : 
          ------------------------------------X                             
                   ORDER AND OPINION REMANDING PROCEEDING ON APPEAL


               On July 5, 1991, the above-named petitioner-tenant filed a 
          Petition for Administrative Review against an order issued on May 
          30, 1991, by the Rent Administrator, 92-31 Union Hall Street, 
          Jamaica, New York, concerning the housing accommodations known as 
          500 West End Avenue, New York, New York, Apartment No. 6D wherein 
          the Rent Administrator determined that the owner had not overcharged 
          the tenant.

               Subsequent thereto, the petitioner-tenant filed a petition in 
          the Supreme Court pursuant to Article 78 of the Civil Practice Law 
          and Rules requesting that the "deemed denial" of the petitioner's 
          administrative appeal be annulled.  This proceeding was then 
          remitted to the Division for a determination of the petitioner's 
          appeal.

               The issue herein is whether the Rent Administrator's order was 
          warranted.

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

               This proceeding was originally commenced by the tenant's filing 
          of a rent overcharge complaint in March, 1989 in which the tenant 
          stated that he first moved to the subject apartment on December 1, 
          1986 and had never been served with a copy of the apartment 
          registration form (RR-1 form) and that he believed that the owner 
          had failed to properly serve the RR-1 form on either him or any 
          prior tenant and that the subject apartment was not registered with 
          the DHCR in 1984.

               The owner was served with a copy of the tenant's complaint and 
          directed to submit proof of service of the RR-1 form on the DHCR.  
          In response, the owner submitted a rental history from 1984, an 
          affidavit from an employee of the Rent Stabilization Association 
          (RSA) to the effect that the RSA mailed the RR-1 form to all rent 
          stabilized tenants of the subject premises on August 24, 1984, a 
          copy of the 1984 RR-1 form addressed to a prior tenant of the 
          subject apartment and the 1984 apartment registration list prepared 









          FG410041RT




          by RSA for the subject premises.  No proof of service on the DHCR 
          nor the U.S. Postal receipt for proof of service on the tenant was 
          submitted.

               In Order Number ZDC4100314R, the Rent Administrator accepted 
          the owner's submissions as proof that the RR-1 form had been duly 
          registered and served on the tenant then in occupancy and based on 
          the rent in effect from April 1, 1984, determined that no rent 
          overcharge had occurred.

               In this petition, the tenant alleges in substance that the 
          finding of proper registration was erroneous since the subject 
          apartment was not registered with the DHCR in 1984 and he does not 
          believe that any prior tenant received a copy of the RR-1 form.

               The Commissioner is of the opinion that this proceeding must be 
          remanded to the Rent Administrator for further consideration.

               An examination of DHCR records for the subject apartment does 
          not disclose that the owner in fact registered the subject apartment 
          with the DHCR for 1984.  However pursuant to Policy Statement 92-3, 
          proof of filing of the initial registration with the DHCR for years 
          prior to 1988 may be established based upon the totality of the 
          evidence.  An owner may establish the filing of an initial 
          registration statement with the DHCR for any year prior to 1988 by 
          submitting as many of the documents listed below as possible.  
          Although no single document shall be conclusive proof of filing, the 
          totality of evidence submitted shall be considered in determining 
          whether such filing was made.  These documents are as follows:
          Certified Mail Receipt or Post Office Proof of Mailing to DHCR Rent 
          Registration Unit;

          Notarized Registration Summary Form;

          Affidavit of Service made after the filing with the DHCR by the 
          person who actually did the mailing or who was responsible for 
          overseeing the owner's mailing procedures;

          Receipts, bills, affidavits or other proof of service from an 
          organization or an agent who was contracted by the owner to file 
          registration forms with the DHCR on the owner's behalf;

          Admission of service by tenants or substantial proof of service of 
          the registration on tenants.

               In the instant case, the owner was not afforded an opportunity 
          to submit proof of service on the DHCR according to the specific 
          criteria outlined above.  It is noted that the owner submitted 
          incomplete proof of service on the tenant then in occupancy since 
          the owner did not submit a copy of the Post Office receipt in 







          FG410041RT

          support of such service on the tenant.  Accordingly, this proceeding 
          is being remanded to afford the owner a final opportunity to submit 
          proof of service of the RR-1 form on both the DHCR and the tenant 
          then in occupancy in accordance with the above criteria.  Any 
          submission by the owner should be served on the tenant herein and 
          the tenant given a chance to respond.  If the owner submits adequate 
          proof in accordance with Policy Statement 92-3, an order should be 
          issued affirming the Rent Administrator's earlier order and finding 
          no rent overcharge.  If the owner does not submit adequate proof, 
          the Rent Administrator should consider the tenant's complaint as a 
          timely objection to the initial registration and direct the owner to 
          submit a rental history from April 1, 1980.  The rent in effect on 
          April 1, 1984 should then be determined based on the rental history 
          from April 1, 1980 (or determined based on default methods if the 
          owner fails to submit such rental history) and frozen at such level 
          until the owner is found to have completed the initial registration 
          requirements for the subject apartment.

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

               ORDERED, that this petition for administrative review be, and 
          the same hereby is, remanded to the Rent Administrator for further 
          processing in accordance with this order and opinion.

          ISSUED



                                                                        
                                          JOSEPH A. D'AGOSTA
                                          Deputy Commissioner





                     



























          FG410041RT











    

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