New Ruling Seen Likely to Impact Rent Laws

The New York Sun reports:

A major crackdown on abuses of rent-controlled and rent-stabilized apartments in New York

City could follow a ruling yesterday that allows landlords to require electronic key-cards emblazoned with tenants' photographs - instead of old-fashioned metal keys.

Electronic keys allow landlords to try to ferret out tenants who are illegally taking advantage of below-market rents - while actually subletting their government-regulated apartments and living somewhere else. State law requires rent-regulated tenants to use their apartments as a "primary residence."

About half the apartments in NYC are rent controlled.Maybe it's time to get rid of rent control,World War Two ended a long time ago.