Sunday, November 11, 2012

Rent Abatement Notice from CWCapital

Dear Residents,

I am writing after one of the more tumultuous weeks in the long and storied history of this community. I want to express our sympathy for all that you have endured over the past 7 days and to express my thanks and appreciation for all that our staff has done since last Monday to ensure resident safety and the fastest possible restoration of services.

I know some of you still remain without some utility services and that our job is not finished until everyone is back to normal. As a demonstration of our commitment, and in appreciation for all that you have been through since last Monday night, I am announcing that anyone who has been without heat, elevator service or electricity will not be charged rent for any day in which they were without one or more of these services.      

While this last week has been extraordinarily trying, it also highlighted all that is special about our community. Our younger residents kept careful watch over their elderly neighbors and our elderly residents provided us all with an example of how to overcome adversity with good humor and fortitude.   Our political figures pitched in and the various resident groups have done their part. Finally, our staff has demonstrated a commitment to this community that is extraordinary.  During this last week, PCVST showed what it means to be part of a community you should all be proud to call home.

I want to extend a particular note of thanks to the building engineers, Public Safety officers, executive staff, and the many volunteers who helped our community get through the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. I personally witnessed several of our engineers working, at significant personal risk, to secure damaged electrical equipment in order to maintain safe conditions in those buildings directly effected by the flood waters. I watched as our Director of Operations had a manhole cover explode next to him as he struggled with workers from ConEd to restore power. I am aware of several staff members that chose to stay here and assist this community despite having lost their own homes to the flood. Many of our executive staff slept onsite for the past week, leaving their own families in cold and darkness elsewhere, while they lead the effort to restore normalcy here.  Our Public Safety officers carried over 200 elderly residents down from their apartments and checked on over 500 additional residents at the request of concerned relatives. I also want to extend our appreciation to the Tenants Association and Councilman Garodnick who responded to our request for additional volunteers to assist in our efforts to check on all residents without power and to help with the food distribution efforts. Everyone involved in this effort should be proud of their participation.

We still have work to do to restore services and return normalcy to this community. We will continue to work tirelessly until that job is complete.

With respect,

Andrew MacArthur
Managing Director - CWCapital


Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town Rent Abatement

Due to the impacts of Hurricane Sandy, we are instituting the following rent abatement measures for all residents of Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town:
  • We will abate rent for residents for any period their building was without an essential service (electric, elevators, heat).
  • We will abate rent for any resident with a scheduled move-out date from that date until the date they are actually able to move out.
  • We will abate rent for any resident with a scheduled move-in date from that date until the date they are actually able to move in.
  • We are trying to include the abatements as rent credits in the December rent bill, however we may not be able to include until January depending on how quickly our systems are able to be restored.
  • If you have a move-out scheduled in November, please email hurricanerentabatement@pcvst.comto discuss how your abatement will be handled.
  • Please pay your normal rent amount until the credits are reflected on your rent bill.  

46 comments:

Anonymous said...

I guess gas, for those of us who have been without since the storm and who are unable to cook as a result, is not consdered to be an essential service.

Anonymous said...

I don't think it is. Not in NYC anyway b/c you won't officially starve if you can't cook for yourself. Income varies, but in general, take-out, microwaveable or toaster oven dinners, ready-to-eat meals, and even soup kitchens make eating without cooking in NYC much easier than in other areas. That's the thought behind the law anyway.

Anonymous said...

Neither are lifts or key cards that work or a laundry room

Anonymous said...

"I guess gas, for those of us who have been without since the storm and who are unable to cook as a result, is not consdered to be an essential service."

Gas is a most essential service and I hope you will make that very, very clear to Management and tell them you should be reimbursed not only for the loss of that essential service, but also for the cost of buying hot food from outside.

Anonymous said...

Is gas an essential sevice???? I can't get an answer on this.
Also - TIME WARNER CABLE? Does anyone have an idea when it will be fixed? Just this morning they said they finally made a note after 13 days of no service that they need to fix it. I am at 400 East 20th and any details will help.
Thank you!

Anonymous said...

WHEN DOES THE ICE SKATING RINK OPEN??????

Anonymous said...

Gas is no longer listed on the DHCR fact sheet for essential services, however, there is language that does point back to the original registration of the unit with DHCR. It might take the services of a Tenant Lawyer to sort it out, but unless your outage is prolonged (months), your legal costs might exceed your abatement. I'd contact Tenant Net or any of the tenant rights groups if this proves to be a substantial issue.

Anonymous said...

I'm with you STR! I hope that %$@&^*(%^$#@ skating rink NEVER opens!

Anonymous said...

I called Time Warner Cable to see if I would get credit for the time that cable was out. The person I spoke to gave me a specific dollar amount that I would be credited. I called Verizon and asked about a credit for my phone and Internet (FiOS). After I explained that I couldn't have called to ask for a repair(!), I was told I would get a credit but not how much.

Just checked Management's website. It is now showing last Labor Day's and this year's Halloween activities and that Oval Cafe is open for business. There's a link for post-storm updates, though.

Anonymous said...

Why do you care so much about the ice rink? I would like it to open soon but understand there are higher priorities. Posters who keep mentioning the ice rink are back to finding faults when there are none to be found. Get a hobby.

Anonymous said...

Is it worth calling TWC about a credit? Doesn't it work out to pennies per day? Just wondering because I hate being on the phone with them!

Stuy Town Reporter said...

I think anyone who wants to know when the ice rink is going to open is joking. At least I hope so!

I do wonder what kind of water damage was sustained on the ice rink, however.

Anonymous said...

"I do wonder what kind of water damage was sustained on the ice rink, however."

I hope it didn't damage the perfectly good playground that is beneath it. That playground gave year-round pleasure and they had no right to turn it into a commercial venue.

Anonymous said...

pcvst.com says the rink opens November 17. What a disgrace,

Anonymous said...

Time Warner gave me 4 days of credit due to the internet being out.

4 days without internet = 1.44 cents.

Anonymous said...

STR, I hope you are holding up well under the strain of all that has happened the last couple of weeks. You were/are always so great in keeping us updated on the postings of CW/Compass Rock. I don't get their notices under my door or by email, so your blog is exceptionally helpful and appreciated. I'm sure you have much more pressing things in your life and you still take the time and trouble to keep us updated. You're the best! xxoo

Anonymous said...

To Poster re: gas: During the electric and heat/hot water shut down I found that having the gas still working was a real blessing. We had sporadic cold water, but I stored as much as I could in pots, pans, bottles and other containers. During the dark, cold days and nights it was very nice to be able to make a cup of tea and boil up a little soup, pasta and sauce on the stovetop and the water boiling away on the stove was enough to take the chill off the apartment as well as enabling me to fill up a hot water bottle to warm my freezing feet in bed! The gas is very important and I feel that without it, during the time when we had no electric would really be very hard. If you had no gas, then you were definitely deprived of an essential service. Like I said, it was the only way to get a little hot sustenance and comfort during those cold days and nights without electric.

Anonymous said...

you won't officially starve if you can't cook for yourself. Income varies, but in general, take-out, microwaveable or toaster oven dinners, ready-to-eat meals, and even soup kitchens make eating without cooking in NYC much easier than in other areas. >>

When you can't get out of your apartment because of shut down elevators and, maybe a disability or anxiety about going down dark stairs, there is no way to get to soup kitchens (should there be any within accessible range) or buy toaster oven meals. Also, when there are no shops open and no electric anywhere, there is no way to heat up a little meal except on the gas stove. Gas is not a luxury, it is a necessity. A real essential, especially in the absence of electricity.

Anonymous said...

Anyone knows what the ICE SKATING RINK monthly electric bill is?

Anonymous said...

I was told I'd get a credit of $13.71 from TWC for my television service.

Anonymous said...

saw the workers begin the process of erecting scaffolding this morning. you would have thought - after sandy - that inspecting building surfaces could have taken a back seat while the other important repairs were done. Superb management again.

Anonymous said...

I got $64.02 credit from Time Warner which was told to me over the phone but until I see it on my bill, I don't believe it.

I have yet to get an answer if gas is an essential service. Does anyone know?

Thank you!

Anonymous said...

It is a disgrace that they can get that stupid rink up and running, but there are still people without gas, intercoms, heat, continuous electric and can't get into their storage units. where are the priorities here? As for the intercoms, they should NOT be making us pay an MCI for this garbage because it is a DOWNGRADE from what we had before.

Murky Boxwine Dumbbell said...

OH MY GLORIOUS RINK! I CAN NOT WAIT FOR YOU TO OPEN SO WE CAN CELEBRATE 'BRATS ON ICE!' WHAT A DAY IT WILL BE. ENOUGH WITH THIS TALK OF GAS AND UTILITIES. ALL WE NEED IS LADY MAYAS WONDERLAND!!! REJOICE! OH REJOICE!

Anonymous said...

gotta have that rink!

and in the spring they'll have to replace all the damaged astroturf (AGAIN)!

What a bunch of morons.

Anonymous said...

Microwavable meals, take out, etc. etc. are all much more expensive to do than just being able to get groceries and cook a meal. Ultimately gas is a UTILITY that PCVST has to pay and considering we've been out still for 2 weeks and most likely 2 to 3 more, we should be credited that as well.

Those with gas issues should just send e-mail after e-mail to the huricanerentabatement@pcvst.com. That's what I plan on doing.

Anonymous said...

You missed my point. If you didn't have water and electricity and elevators, etc, you don't have essential services and are getting a credit on rent anyway. But if you have all the other services, except for some reason, gas, that is not considered an "essential service" on its own (anymore). If life otherwise goes on as normal, but you don't have gas (and you don't pay for gas), then you might not get a credit just for having no gas.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know a phone number or email that can be used to contact Stuy Town office? The gas is still off in our building, they came last Sunday and did something and I have heard nothing since then. I want to get a time frame on how long the gas will be shut down. With the holidays next week and family in town, this information is 'essential'. Thanks to all for any informatiton.

Anonymous said...

Of course the ice rink is important. That is if you are twit from a flyover state! Let us not forget that the property (only the largest housing complex in the country) is now being managed by an upstart hick company from a flyover state. It's like putting a manager of a corner store in charge of running Macy's. They'll have brats on ice, with Security details in place) while tenants struggle with no elevators, heat or hot water in dark walk-ups in unsecured buildings. Get your priorities straight, Campus Rock! Get rif of those key cards, restore all utilities and clean the damaged buildings before you organize anymore hoedowns or barn dances! And shove that freakin ice rink!

Anonymous said...

There might be a precedent for the gas issue dating from the incident where 522, 524, 526 lost gas service for weeks (maybe more). This happened a while back, but within the last 7 or 8 years. If the lease states that "utilities are included" in your rent, utilities are commonly considered to be gas and electric. So despite the omission (or redaction) on the part of DHCR, there might be a strong case made for those who continue to live without the ability to cook. They're not cave dwellers, are they ?

Anonymous said...

Murky Boxwine Dumbbell is right!

Anonymous said...

It's insulting that the rink survived the storm when there was so much damage nearby and people are still putting up with the loss of basic services. It's more insulting that management won't focus on what's important and forget the rink.

Anonymous said...

You have to remember (and i am not one of them) repeat, I am not one OF THEM, that most parents with kids here are over the top happy to have the rink so their kids can skate on property

not sure they give a damn about those who live near it and are annoyed by it. I DON'T LIVE ONTHE OVAL, so i 'm just saying. have heard this with my own ears. over and over.

Anonymous said...


Why not a partial refund for days tenants don't have gas. Say 50%

Anonymous said...

Anyone see the fill page ad in T&V by the tenants association blasting Quik Park? Especially about rehiring John Issacs? He was a good man who cared about the customers, which is probably why he was fired before the storm

Anonymous said...

"Does anyone know a phone number or email that can be used to contact Stuy Town office?'

This is the number: 888-885-8490 (Management listed this number in their emergency handouts, one of which is probably still posted in every building).

However, you will do much better to go over to Oval Study to talk to someone directly. Management has installed a lot of staff there to deal with emergency issues.

And if you need Public Safety, the number is 347-680-2212.

Anonymous said...

I would gladly give them their ice skating rink if they would simply give me clean working laundry rooms.

Why do I have to do my laundry in a rodent infested 3rd world laundry room if they have money for ice skating rinks?

BTW, does anyone every clean the hallways? Seems like a few years ago it was a few times a week...now there are menus all over the place until I pick them up never mind the stained carpets.


That said, I have no problem with people ice skating or enjoying landscape . If I had kids I'd probably even go skate there ...for me it is just a matter of priorities. Give us less cabbage plants and "frills" and more essential services.

Anonymous said...

Will the rink be open this weekend? I'm sure a lot of people still don't have any power/gas but little Jimmy wants to go ice skating with his friends.

Thanks.

Mommy Dearest said...

Thank you, Murky Boxwine Dumbbell, for expressing my exact sentiments so well. I also can't wait for the ice rink to open, and don't know why so many are against it. "Brats on Ice" is a surefire way to lift the spirits of those still without basic essentials, like working elevators, heat, hot water and gas! Stop being such grouches, people!

Also, does anybody know the best way to remove mold from 63 pairs of Manolo Blahnik shoes and a newly-purchased Prada stroller, that were in my flooded storage space?

Anonymous said...

Gas is an essentail service, although it may not qualify for a full abatement.

Anonymous said...

285 and 287 Ave C may have no gas service for possibly 3 more weeks. I live there.

But I feel much worse for all the people that lost everything.

Must look at everything in perspective.

Anonymous said...

Where is Lo Rhent these days? Hope he didn't get washed away by the Hi Tide!

Anonymous said...

And it's a lovely Sunday morning and the heavy equipment that cleans the the ice has been squeeling, screaming and beeping into my apartment on the 12th floor for half an hour or so. That means it's been squeeling, screaming and beeping into every apartment around the oval for that half hour. Sunday morning on the Oval = Industrial Zone. Terrific. That's one of the reasons I hate the ice skating rink.

Murky Boxwine Dumbbell said...

THANK GOD THE RINK IS FINALLY OPEN! THE KIDS CAN SKATE FOR HOURS WHILE I SAVOR MY ARBOR MIST LUNCH AND FLIRT WITH MYSTERY MEN ON THE INTERNET.

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