I Tracked Down My Anonymous Landlord... Here's What Happened.

When Chai Dingari's landlord abruptly raised his rent by 25%, Chai tried to track them down. What he found led him into the shadowy legal world of housing, where landlords hide behind anonymity to exploit tenants and keep rent high.

We dug into how landlords use LLCs to conceal their identities and shield themselves from liability for not paying taxes or letting buildings fall into disrepair.

But that could change. There are two bills going through the New York state legislature that could give more rights to tenants. The LLC Transparency Act would require LLCs to make the names of beneficiaries public. And the Good Cause Eviction bill would give tenants the right to remain—meaning they'd have the option to renew when their lease term is up—and put a cap on rent increases.

Both these bills would be huge wins for tenants, but face a tremendous uphill battle.

If you’re in New York, sign on here and tell your state rep to pass the LLC Transparency Act

Also, if you are a New York state tenant, you can check to find out if your apartment is actually rent stabilized here:

Have a problem but don’t know how to reach your landlord? Here’s a way to find out where your rent goes and also to request repairs or report violations

Want to organize your building to fight rent increases or get improvements on the building? Tenant activists have made a toolkit and it can work anywhere!

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