The Bronx, NY — A Bronx landlord, 1288 LLC, managed under Chestnut Holdings, has been found guilty of overcharging rent for years on a rent-stabilized apartment, according to a ruling by the Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) in 2021. Despite the ruling in favor of the tenant, the landlord has allegedly continued to harass the tenant and their family. According to a new DHCR rent overcharge case bought by the same tenant in 2024, the landlord has allegedly overcharged the tenant for over 8 years.
The DHCR determined that the landlord overcharged the tenant for years, violating New York City rent stabilization laws. The agency ordered 1288 LLC to repay the overcharged amount, but the tenant claims the landlord has refused to comply. Since the ruling, the tenant says the harassment has only intensified, with the landlord threatening not to renew the family’s lease and even attempting to lock them out of their apartment twice.
“We even tried to move out once if they paid us all the rent overcharge DHCR ordered them to pay, but the landlord didn’t want to pay us, so we stayed,” said the tenant, who has lived in the apartment for over a decade. “Ever since then, the landlord 1288 LLC and its management company, Chestnut Holdings, have been harassing us.”
The tenant describes a relentless campaign of intimidation and threats, alleging that the landlord has tried to pressure the family into leaving their rent-stabilized home. The harassment includes repeated warnings that their lease would not be renewed, despite the tenant’s right to lease renewals under New York City’s rent stabilization laws.
Efforts to reach Chestnut Holdings for comment have been unsuccessful. The Continent Post reported that repeated inquiries to the management company went unanswered.
The DHCR’s ruling should have brought relief to the tenant, but the alleged non-compliance and continued harassment underscore the challenges rent-stabilized tenants face in New York City.