A timely article as he can regret the most honest decision one could make as a renter, under the circumstances. His situation was not a common one but if used to argue against rent control could have made a positive impact on reasonable landlords.
Life is not fair...and this article explains why in advertedly. He was/is the beneficiary for many decades of a law that made renting to market difficult but then [within the article] explains why he would not want to be the person owning the property. Ironic no?
1
I love this piece but it’s criminal that they’re not more pics included.
2
I lived in the same one-bedroom apartment on the Upper West off Columbus for 10 years and paid $1700 per month. Today I am told it rents for twice that, after being renovated.
The bigger problem though (in addition to the general lack of affordable housing for most people, even with roommates) is that nearly every storefront that gave my little neighborhood any sense of place or personality has been closed and is now empty and listed as FOR COMMERCIAL LEASE.
Any time I go back to visit I feel like I am Will Smith in "I Am Legend" walking around a post-apocalyptic ghost city. All I need is the German Shepherd.
It's heartbreaking to see all of these shop and restaurant vacancies boarded up like bleached coral, bereft of fish or color or any sense of vitality and makes living in Manhattan no longer worth the epic struggle or the cost.
9
I met an elderly woman in AC and she was telling me how she has a rent control apartment in NYC for years but moved in with her daughter and lets her nephew live there now because she doesn't want to give up the cheap apartment. Make one wonder how many like her are doing the same thing.
5
Here’s another side of rent control and rent stabilized apts: the several people I know who have them never got married and had a family because they didn’t have enough room, and we’re afraid to move out and loose their apts. They never had motivation or ambition to work hard because their rent was so low, why earn more money? Oh, and those pesky rich people who live in or own property in NYC, they just happen to pay more taxes than any other population; they donate money to build wings at the hospitals, they support the grand city museums, they are huge contributors to NYC charities that make NYC an amazing place to live and visit. Central Park is one of the most magnificent parks in the world thanks to all those “evil”millionaires & billionaires who support it.
I could spit nails when people demonize rich people with broad paint strokes.
4
I lived in a 6th floor walk up in the East Village beginning in 1966. The rent was 43 dollars a month. It was a 2 bedroom apartment with 10 ft. ceilings. The bones of the building were excellent with no warped floors etc. The only critical problem was the stairs and getting enough water to the 6th floor; I used to fill up my bath tub (in the kitchen!) every night so I would have water the next day. I lived in this building for 12 years; the low rent subsidized my career as an artist. That building now is a condo with apartments selling for a cool half million.
2
Albert was, briefly, my husband's roommate in rehab 3 years ago. He is widely adored, if his flood of friendly & helpful visitors was anything to go by. He told us that his aunt, the writer Harriet Lane Levy (of the Matisse drawing), introduced Gertrude Stein to Alice B. Toklas (!) and that his mother's letters home from her year (1912) in Paris meeting Picasso & Matisse, among others, were published as Just a Very Pretty Girl from the Country, the title a phrase Stein dismissively used about her. So glad to hear he is still going strong!
6
His living situation sure beats those coffin hotels in Tokyo. Oceans of room.
3
All economists agree that rent control increases the cost of housing for the remaining population. It is an out of date idea.
7
And all sociologists agree rent stabilized apartments create communities that increase the well-being of all
14
Another panegyric for days long gone in NYC. Glad I had the chance to live there for ten years. Just long enough to witness the city's metamorphosis into unbearable megalopolis filled seemingly with mostly selfish and unbearable residents and unknown sources of wealth.
13
Relationships between couples seem to work longer in New York City thanks to these rent control laws. This poor guy was stuck in Greenwich Village his entire life thanks to them as well.
2
@skanda Oh, to be stuck on Morton Street…my heart bleeds.
A personal aside: I'm "stuck" over across town, near Tompkins Square park, and truthfully I was priced out of my neighborhood years ago. (As in, I'd never be able to afford the $3,250 a month my next-door neighbor is paying.)
When I moved into this neighborhood 30 years ago, it was still considered an end-of-the-road place, although not as divey it was in 1976, when my now-deceased roommate moved in.
I don't know of too many people who think losing their place in the city represents an "opportunity;" I've never had anyone say to me: "I'm getting evicted! Now I have a new lease on life!"
12
@skanda Sometimes I am in Manhattan and I see an elderly person struggling down a crowded street -- cane, walker -- and I think they are there because of rent control, when they could have a nicer quality of life in the outer boroughs where there is space, sky, vegetation, oxygen...!
4
They have better transportation here than in the country -- despite offers by neighbors to chauffeur them to the market.
7
When my father died in 2004, I inherited nearly $300,000, and my accountant suggested that I buy an annuity. But I had been living in a tiny rent-stabilized studio for 35 years, my landlord had just tried to evict me for "clutter" (I had to get a lawyer, but I won), and I was determined to buy a condo. Of course the perfect one was more expensive than I'd planned, but with a mortgage, I'm now paying less than I would have paid in a comparable rental--and I'll be able to sell the apartment for $100,000 more than I paid for it, according to a recent appraisal. And yes, I feel lucky--the expense and difficulties of finding an apartment in this city are major problems for anyone who earns less than $100,000 a year (which I never did).
11
"A retired actor found what he thought was an ideal place to live in Greenwich Village in 1955, for $90 a month. He never left."
Well, place to live means apartment in NYC, but he hasn't lived in his current apartment since 1955.
Also the building is in what be called the West Village in 2019; in 1955 it would have been part of the west side docks.
1
I was talking to a woman on the bus who could have bought her 3 bedroom 2 bath doorman bldg. for $90k and opted to continue renting. Of course this was 40 years ago.
3
Looks like a prison cell.
2
@Mons A prison cell with a chandelier and an ornate marble fireplace? I'd live there.
14
Minimum wage was $1.00 an hour in 1955.
In 2016, minimum wage was $10.50.
That is roughly an increase by a factor of 10, so rent going from $90 to $900 is about right--if we match rent to income.
Given today's much higher rents, you can understand why people have lobbied for today's $15.00 minimum wage.
8
We need to differentiate between a few arguments. There is the micro argument and the macro argument, from which one should draw vastly different conclusions.
The micro argument is undoubtedly a heart-warming story. Rent control can, on an individual basis, allow someone to afford to live in an area they otherwise might not be able to afford. It can help ensure that a landlord, in a tight market, cannot gouge a tenant in that specific unit. That's good and dandy, but there are two deep flaws to this line of reasoning: 1) it's a micro argument that ignores the macro implications and 2) it relies on faulty counterfactual arguments, often assuming some sort of zero-sum scenario.
The macro argument is deeply concerning. Is rent control/stabilization good for society? NYC is a city with limited housing supply, which is exacerbated by a Byzantine zoning code and most certainly not helped by rent regulations that keep our housing stock out of date and off the market for much longer than they should be. Are rents high because landlords are cruel, horrible humans or because the city can't get out of its own way with nice-sounding-but-ineffective housing policies? Rents are high because there isn't enough housing stock and because the city has done a lot, intentionally or not, to get in the way of there being enough. Even with the building boom in LIC, Downtown BK, and Hudson Yards, we are not even coming close to rectifying the decades of under construction and under supply.
8
@Andrew
There is quite a lot of construction in Manhattan, but it is luxury housing, not affordable. The billionaire buildings to the luxury apartments for millennials, such as Hudson Yards. Also important to remember that a segment of new Manhattan housing gets gobbled up for pied a terre use, by people who don't live in NYC. Also, increasingly for Airbnb businesses.
Worth reading Richard Florida's article in CityLab (1/31/19) - in certain markets more housing does not mean affordability. It just means more luxury housing. That is the NYC story.
7
@Andrew
It's not realistic to just keep building. There is never enough housing.. if prices go down, there is plenty of demand for household formation just from the existing city residents who are cramped, as well as from outside or the 'burbs. The only constraint seems to be price (purchase or rental) and rent control or stabilization just distorts that. Cambridge MA got rid of rent control and the sky didn't fall.
If you really wanted to reduce prices, make NYC less desirable -- kick out some major employers, economic sectors and stop fixing the subway. Reneging on Amazon's deal is a good start as is spending 10x typical on subway construction. Think about pushing UBS back to Stamford, push out Google, push GS to Jersey City, etc., and a plan starts taking shape.
5
Upon reading the article on Mr Bennett I discovered he is a Cousin! His great aunt Harriett Lane Levy wrote 920 O’ Farrell Street and donated many paintings from her collection to the SFMOMA. Her mother and my 2nd great grandmother were sisters! Please say hello for me! Sounds like he has had a wonderful life.
19
1981 - $192, 2019 - $915.99. Balcony, river view, Manhattan skyline view. No physical problems in the apartment, too much heat but can open the balcony door to cool down. 38 years of living in an affordable, quality rental. Thanks to Mitchell Lama and Rent Stabilization. NYC is not only for the wealthy.
13
I loved this story and Mr. Bennett is just the sort of character that makes NYC such a wonderful place to live. Another POV on rent control though. I live in a Manhattan pre-war building that went coop in the mid-80s with a non-eviction plan, meaning rent controlled tenants were able to remain. The few who are left pay a tiny fraction of market rent for 2- and 3-bedroom apartments, most not enough to cover the cost of heating their apartments in winter. Virtually all have had second homes outside the City, something I cannot afford. I begrudge Mr. Bennett nothing, he is treasure, but rent control remains a glaringly inequitable system when some residents have to subsidize others more than capable of paying their way. In one case, a son swooped in to gain succession rights of his dying father, a father he never bothered to visit over the years even when he was ill, though he lived close by. There should be a financial test to enable someone to hang on to a drastically below market rent apartment indefinitely.
15
Sad, an entire life being prisoner to an apartment that’s not even his own.
10
A prisoner?! Good God.
He has spent his life productively and happily and very often outdoors in this wonderful city. I also enjoy looking at cornices, window trim, and elegant door frames, and there are plenty of those in our New York City historic districts.
(Until Mr. de Blasio and his real estate buddies get hold of Brooklyn Heights after their plan for making the Promenade a 6-lane expressway destroys the foundations of the old townhouses backing onto it. Then, condemned for safety reasons, irreplaceable buildings will be razed to create spanky-new, shoddily built condos.)
25
@Ed, have you ever been to the part of the West Village where Morton Street is located? It is charming beyond belief. We should all be such prisoners.
17
What stood out to me in this article is: Mr. Bennett is an inspiration!
16
I love these stories and the characters that inhabit them.
16
Personally, I am grateful for the break that rent control affords New Yorkers, and because you had to live in your apartment since 1971 to even qualify, these are folks who usually have lived through all the changes in their neighborhood, and not all of them as charming as on Morton Street - regardless they are the most vulnerable New Yorkers and deserve the ability to stay. Sure there are those people who vacation in Fire Island and take trips, etc. etc. So What?? They are New Yorkers and some deserve the break and I am glad that folk like Albert, who contributes to his community, can get it.
14
My bachelor uncle who died at 83 in the early 90's lived in a rent-controlled 4th floor walkup on East 81st St. for most of his life, having moved from across the street at some point. You knew when you arrived at his staircase because it was carpeted and lined with thrift shop paintings. He had 4 wonderful rooms in a railroad flat, very cozy. I think he was paying $125/mo. by then but paid more voluntarily. He used to say that if he ever turned up dead under mysterious circumstances, suspect his landlady.
16
This all very charming and nostalgic- but I can’t get over the bad advice and justification for not buying a townhouse on Morton Street for $65,000 in the 1960s. Of course it’s easy to say now (hindsight 20/20) and he’s clearly not the type to own, but let’s not make the idea of renting vs buying a romantic idea. Every $ he spent in rent, even if it was cheap, was a $ he spent to use a space vs to build equity. It rubs me the wrong way that this story is some sort of hero worship - it’s hard enough for today’s young adults to buy a home - without the rest of us sending subliminal messages that say “why bother!”
9
His mother had a lousy lawyer.
3
Rent control/stabilization can also be a trap -- encouraging people to stay in apartments not really suitable for them as they age.
8
This is one of those articles. I both admire Mr. Bennett's attitude and, yes, I am jealous, but not in a bad way. I hope he continues to enjoy his time in The Village.
12
Bravo to Mr. Bennet. To have lived to be 93 is a feat in itself. To live that inexpensively in NYC shows he knew what he had at a young age and never let go. He has lived a full and creative life. To you nay sayers that moan about his never marrying, etc, etc.... He never could have had his freedom being a married man with a family. I think his home looks cozy. I like the loft idea and all those books. My only change would be to have that fireplace work!
Go Mr. Bennet....live to 103!
Sallyann
2
Remember. Getting rid of rent control benefits 1 person - the current landlord. He / she paid a price that assumed rent control. If that rent increases , that unit is now worth 2-3x what they paid. They pocket that money.
Elimination of rent control = huge transfer of wealth from people like Mr. Bennett to millionaire landlords. Do we really need to redistribute wealth UPWARDS?
22
Interesting that Mr Bennet himself says he is delighted that he did not buy the property he is living in. Like all Rent Subsidized tenants he knows it’s wrong, but is enjoying his good fortune.
3
@Mike:
Bennett doesn't have a rent stabilized.
And no, you've not explained how Bennett is wrong.
5
Lovely. Thank you for this story of one person's wonderful life.
14
NYC rent regulations are comparable to those in Moscow.
Rules incentivize owners to deed their properties to rent-controlled tenants to give them a taste of what it feels like to be unable to afford to maintain property while they pay real estate tax, water charges, heating expense, cost of maintaining and repairing their property necessary capital expenditures, and sanitation tickets to repair New York City’s public housing projects. All the while their tenants spend weekends traveling to their second homes.
8
Would love to see more photos...
maybe bring a 360 camera too?
12
Fantastic article. So happy people like Al are able to afford to stay in the city to counterbalance all the moneyed basic tats taken over.
I’ve lived in my rent-stabilized 500 sqft Brooklyn apartment for 18 years. When I moved in it was all RS tenants. Now there are only three of us left. Some died, some took buyouts and got the heck out if NYC.
But our building has sold twice since I’ve been there and both times sold quickly. So, it’s not a losing investment. And it’s not “unsustainably” as some have suggested. We’re already deep—decades in fact—into the proof of the opposite. Al helps show that.
21
YAH for rent controlled apartments and the people that live in them!! Everybody has a story and so the journey of life continues. New York City rents are out of control now, the charm is gone, it is all about the almighty dollar.....grew up in Parkchester in the 60's..an amazing place then!
16
Typical advocate of landmarking other people's property. Never had any skin in the game. Never had anything to gain or to lose, but dreams of power over the people who own his building and the others who have invested their time, energy and money in buildings they own.
A utopian. At the expense of other people. New York is a very complicated environment. Any system that is sufficiently complicated, human or not human, will inevtiably attract parasites.
7
If this guy still pays $90 a month that is disgusting. How could the landlord even subsist with a rent like that?
4
@David He DOES NOT. Read before commenting. This man offered to pay MORE than his landlord demanded.
24
@David He pays $900.00.
6
What a great story. I lived on Sullivan St. between Houston and Prince for over a decade (1989 to 2000). It was tiny: 240 square feet, with a shower in the kitchen, loft bed (it looks just like Mr. Bennett's loft bed), etc. From the shower, I could reach (a) My microwave oven (B) my telephone & (C) my refrigerator. It was "rent stabilized". When I moved in, the rent was $430 a month; when I moved out (not that long ago), it was still only$485 a month. Hard to believe, but true. That is a beautiful block, right across from St. Anthony's Church. Most people incorrectly assume it is an Italian neighborhood; however, it is not. The area immediately surrounding St. Anthony's Church was primarily people of Portuguese descent, although some Italian people came later. I loved that apartment. I originally had a legal sublet (up to 2 years is legal), because my friend (who had the lease) is an actor and had some work lined up in Hollywood. He met & fell in love with a girl; 1 of the top stars of "As The World Turns". They got married (I went to their wedding) in L.A. Fortunately, the landlord let me put the lease in my name. That is how I got the apartment, no fee; nothing. BTW, I had a friend with an even smaller apartment on Thompson Street below Spring Street. It was 170 square feet, plus he had a dog. Born & raised in NY City, he never went above 14th Street (quirky). Otherwise, he was a "normal" guy. As the saying goes, "There's 8 million stories in the big city" (close enough).
23
Nice story.
I am out of step, almost for sure...but I am not a rent control fan. Landlords should be allowed to charge rent appropriate to fair value. Let’s have negative income tax, let’s have rental tax credits, let’s have more publicly subsidized housing, let’s have more housing supply by smarter use of urban space. But rent control is taking money from land owners and giving it to someone else. That “someone else” may not be a cute old guys but a homely young wealthy guy.
10
$900 a month will get you a two bedroom apartment on the 3rd floor with a working fireplace and small deck off the living room in St. Louis, MO. The money New Yorker's pay for the very small apartments they live in astounds me.
By the way, a gallon of milk here is $2.77 and a gallon of gas is $1.77, as of last Friday.
4
Ok, but do I have to live in St. Louis?
33
@rslay St Louis, despite being a lovely and historic city, is the place where the minimum wage was recently lowered from $10.10/hour to $7.70/hour. That probably factors into the very high poverty rate. Despite the inexpensive housing (relative to New York) housing remains expensive for many St. Louis residents. The city in infamous for demolishing public housing. Then there's that high crime rate and poor relations with police. Poor public schools abound (though there are some pretty prestigious universities). Missouri's a red state; the majority of voters support government and policies which are not welcoming to many New Yorkers (and New Jerseyans). The apartment you described sounds really lovely, yet your comment suggests the only excitement is driving to a supermarket for cheap milk. New York, despite all its expensive drawbacks and increasingly generic retail is still a vibrant diverse and welcoming city - interesting enough to draw people from around the world to live here (or at least read articles in NY Times).
15
@rslay and the salaries are probably half what you can get paid in NYC, so it's all relative, eh?
7
Eventually this apartment will have a vacancy and the follow up story should be what that new/current rent will be.
9
Mr. Bennett: Go Bears! From the Class of ‘15, a short 67 years after your own.
5
As a Duke Ellington song goes, “things ain’t what they used to be.”
2
Rent control was never fair and always gamed. Better to give people money as a tax credit.
6
Most of the buildings advertised in the Times, and typical of the "new" New York, are so filled with amenities that there is no need to ever go out, and that is intention. Yoga rooms, playgrounds, gyms, saunas, pools, roof decks, and libraries are all within an elevator's trip. Outside your gleaming glass gulag, there is now a wasteland of empty storefronts, Duane Reades, banks, and other glass towers screaming "Stay out!" Nothing to see, nothing to do, and no interesting people like Mr. Bennett. The only holdouts, the ridiculously priced eateries, will vanish one by one as they begin delivering from large commercial kitchens to the coddled tower-dwellers.
23
I think some readers are confused that he still pays $90 a month: "Over the decades, many things have changed, of course: His rent, which was $90 a month when he moved in, is now nearly $900" Just an observation.
10
Imagine the fortune his ex-landlords could have made if it wasn't for the long arm of daddy government forcing them to leave money on the table.
Rent control is theft.
6
@T. Warren
I'm afraid you've slightly misquoted the great anarchist, Jean-Joseph Proudhon. You should have written "property is theft."
9
Mr. Bennett seems like a really cool guy. I love nonagenarian and centenarian citizens--they always seem upbeat and happy.
5
Why does Mr Bennett need a rent stabilized place? He grew up in Piedmont California (a rich section in the hills near Oakland), he went to Yale, and he seems to have been well employed for at least 50 or 60 years. Imagine how grateful a simple unemployed mother would be to have such a place - but he's he's taking advantage of it instead.
7
@Amy
If you're looking for villains in NYC real estate, I think Mr. Bennett is about 999,999th down on the list.
36
@stan continople
What Mr Bennett is doing may be legal but it certainly isn't moral. Or, rather, the system isn't moral for not serving those who meed it most.
7
@Amy - My goodness, I didn't know you knew so much about his personal finances, and that of his family's, from decades back! Yes, Piedmont, Calif. may be a "rich" area, but so is Manhattan and so, may I remind you, is Brooklyn these days, yet not everyone who lives in these places is rolling in the cash. Yes, Yale costs money and always did: but there were always scholarships and frankly, it's none of your business how Mr. Bennett financed his education.
Yes, Mr. Bennett may have been employed for half a decade, but that doesn't mean he is not entitled to his rent-controlled (not rent-stabilized) apartment. He was an actor, not exactly a job that brings in the cash unless you make it big, and no one is pulling in the big bucks as a reference-book writer, which was also one of his former careers. Keep in mind that Mr. Bennett is living in an apartment that has no closet but does have a loft bed that, at 93, he can no longer climb into, forcing him to sleep on his couch. At 93.
I cannot believe how many people are begrudging this man his good fortune. If you're so concerned about unemployed mothers, then get out there and do something for them, but stop slinging mud at a 93-year-old man. That apartment will never go to an unemployed mother anyway: after Mr. Bennett passes, the landlord will probably rent it out or sell it for a huge amount of money. Mr. Bennett is probably the last person of middle-class means who will ever live in that place, so give it a rest.
60
Housing should be not-for-profit. Permanent housing is a universal right, even for homeless people with no income. Why are landlords purchasing "investment" property? They are trying to charge market rates and make a profit of people.
Under HUD's Housing Choice Voucher program (commonly known as Section 8), I pay 30% of my adjusted income a month for rent and allowed utilities. HUD pays the difference. That is the way it should be for all.
8
@mileena
"Housing should be not-for-profit. Permanent housing is a universal right, even for homeless people..."
When this is a reality housing stock will be made out of cotton candy, popsicle sticks and rainbows.
9
In 1964, My parents rented a parlor floor studio apartment on Morton Street, on the same block as Mr. Bennett's apartment. The landlord, who lived on the ground floor (opening on a garden abutting the gardens of St. Luke's Place) was remodeling the upper three floors, and was thrilled to find Californians who didn't know about rent control. With two teenagers back from school, our family moved to the top floor, a dazzling floor-through two bedroom apartment. at $800 a month. The only problem was huffing up four flights of stairs. And that building (a brick Victorian) was reputedly a former brothel too. Morton Street apparently had quite the history.
8
I love this story. It's sad we will see no stories like this in ten years. Our most culturally diverse and desirable big cities (NYC/LA/SF) are just becoming places that seem dominated by the wealthy. Maybe it's a cycle---but, I doubt any three of these cities will be as interesting as they were when the Albert Bennetts of this world are gone.
17
A lovely story...many amazing and magical people in that wonderful city!
6
Everyone I know who had a rent-controlled or rent-stabilized apartment had one or more of the following: 1) a second home in the country, subsidized by their low rent, 2) an illegal sub-tenant 3) an argument that rent regulation was necessary for the city to retain artistic people, but no clue about how much or what kind of art a person needed to create to merit a comparatively inexpensive apartment. I never met a person of color who benefited from rent regulation. I suppose (and hope) there are some, but all the ones I knew were solidly white middle- and upper-middle class. And then the craziness of being able to pass these gems to relatives. This system was a hand-out to people who loved NYC, but didn't love it enough to consider living in a nicer, bigger place in the "outer boroughs." Perish the thought. A subsidy for Manhattan-centric people, for the most part.
18
You need connections to gain a rent controlled apartment.
Only certain people deserve special treatment. It’s not supposed to be for everyone.
6
I know plenty of people that love in rent stabilized apartments and they have none of the things you speak of.
12
Oh, I just love this piece! I lived in the West Village for 44 years - leaving in 2008. I've been up in Sullivan County - the Boondocks - for the last 18 years and how I miss the City - and especially the West Village. I also worked in advertising, film and a bunch of other fields. I totally relate to this story- 1,000%. Thank you so much. Maybe I should submit my own story - ? But in the meantime, I'll share this with my friends who'll also "get it" 1000%. Thank you! Loved it!!!
15
Whatn seems ideal is the location and as well the positive vibe of very long term occupancy. These perks often keep long time occupants from considering a move yet are often overshadowed by other life pressures. Some prefer a windowed eat in kitchen. a bedroom accommodating a king sized bed as well as one additional multipurpose zone for the office or study if not a bedroom as well as set aside space to entertain. Each room in one of these apartments including mine from 1970 seems larger than is the total square footage of this apartment.
1
This is a charming story. I wish photos of the terrace had been included.
23
As administered in NYC, rent controls make no sense, artificially increase rents for other renters, and create a disincentive for landlords to invest in their properties.
In the late 70's my wife and I paid $495/month for a decent, one-bedroom rent stabilized apartment in the Village, despite being able to afford twice as much rent. No income or asset qualifications apied.
Today, thousands of oversized apartments with rent stabilized and rent controlled rents are occupied by tenants who don't/hardly need price control protection, and who no longer need two or three bedrooms. How does this make any sense?
If other social safety net programs require beneficiaries to requalify periodically, why doesn't NYC's price controlled housing stock require this? Does it make any sense that I could have remained in my rent stabilized apartment for the last 40 years, despite never having had the need for subsidized housing?
27
but you kept staying there didnt you?
1
@bored critic
No. Moved out a few years later.
I wrote, "l could have remained..." (regardless of my future income or assets).
5
Financial guidelines generally recommend spending no more than 30% of your income on rent. So, maybe one solution to the rent control issue is to tie it to income. Rent could be either 30% of the income of all the residents or market rate, whichever is less. That prevents people from taking advantage of rents designed for people with low incomes when they can well afford more (I've worked with a number of people in SF who were easily making six figures - more if you include spouses - but who stayed in rent controlled units they got when they were students or in low paying jobs, and they paid a pittance in rent. FAR less than they could reasonably afford.). This would allow for increases (or decreases) that are in line with the person's income.
Also, I disagree with allowing people to pass on rent controlled units to family at the same rent. It's one thing if a child was living with a parent who passed to let them keep it, an entirely different thing if someone was living in the unit and when they passed their family took it over at the same rent. I say that's an event that should allow the rent to be reset. Again, if tied to income, that would be fairer to everyone.
16
@Josie What you are advocating is for Section 8 for All. I receive that now. I pay 30% of my adjusted income, or about $160 a month in rent for my $700 monthly 1-BR apartment and HUD pays this difference. But most people are against Section 8. Be careful what you wish for.
@mileena If all rent were tied to income, then higher incomes would pay more, which would subsidize those paying less. It doesn't all have to be Section 8. I own and rent out two nice houses. Although both houses are alike, one renter pays double the other because they can afford it. Even the higher of the two is still a bit under the going rate, so both renters are happy. I break even on the expenses for both houses, but building equity all the while. Maybe it's just greed that escalates rent pricing.
4
As beneficial as rent control has turned out for Mr. Bennett, stories like this are exactly why rents in NYC (and other rent-controlled cities, like San Francisco and Los Angeles) are so outrageous. By keeping units like this one off the market for decades, rent control forces MUCH higher rents on newer tenants, driven by limited available housing stock as well as a need by the landlords to subsidize those lower rents with higher current rents.
Can anyone point to a rent control city with overall affordable rents?
15
This unit is not “off the market”! It is being lived in! Jeesh!
8
It was out of the free market. He was contributing very little to the neighborhood or city financially, even if his cultural contributions were higher. Others had to make up the difference financially by paying higher rents and taxes.
Making this person a hero is a false narrative, life is never that simple
5
My 94-year-old father, who was a modern dancer in his hey-day, has lived in the same rent-controlled apartment for 61 years -- through two wives, two children, and many permutations of his career. I myself lived in a rent-controlled East Village apartment for 12 years as a young artist in the 80s. Now there is no more affordable housing in NY, and so we have fewer and fewer creative people in the city. Just money-makers.
23
Lovely story. Interesting about the bordello. My friend grew up in an Upper West Side brownstone right off Central Park West that was also that kind of establishment. And people came by to inquire also all the time! I wish we could find out the history of all those old buildings in New York.
10
A heartening story to read, both in terms of a person who has lived a good life, aided by being able to live in a rent-controlled apartment, and an instance of how rent-control works in terms of providing decent housing for someone of moderate income and allows a senior to stay in the home he has lived in for over 60 years.
Our city (and nation) should pay more attention to providing decent lives (housing, healthcare, etc) for hard-working people who don't work in investment banks, Google, or Amazon (and who contribute to the life of the city in many ways via their careers, as Mr. Bennett has/does), and particularly for seniors. (And economically, it's cheaper for the City to provide rent-controlled or rent-stabilized apartments for seniors than to truck them off to expensive assisted-living or nursing homes.)
The idea that we "can't afford" to provide affordable housing to middle- and lower-income working people and seniors just isn't true. Landlords and builders receive generous tax breaks and other incentives to create/maintain affordable housing. They may not make the windfall profits that "luxury" builders and developers do, but generally they make good profits (check out tax records not one-off anecdotes from some owners). And all the $multi-billionaire luxury owners and builders -- now making unprecedented windfall profits -- can certainly afford to pay a little more in taxes to support the greater good. They'll still build in NYC and still get rich doing so.
19
@NYer
Landlords recieve zero tax breaks in NYC for having
rent controled or rent stabilized apartments. All they get are low paying tenants who may not even cover costs.
However, NYC developer's sometimes do get tax abatements for including low income housing in their projects.
1
In 1963 (or thereabouts) an artist friend found a rent-controlled apartment near Cooper Union and not far from McSorley's as I recall. After a few years his rent climbed above the pittance (well under $100) that he was paying in rent. During the Johnson administration, some sort of inspector interviewed my friend and told him that he was paying more than the landlord was permitted to charge, and he ultimately received a refund of a few dozen dollars, and a lower rent. The building survives, my friend is no longer there, but it was rent control that allowed him to be an artist, and a good one at that. NYC would be a different place without rent control. Without it, it is becoming a less human place.
23
This was a welcome diversion from the usual onslaught political news, catastrophes, and scandal. I've always had an interest in the little things in NYC that I don't hear about, largely because I live down here in Georgia and I have no friends or family in Manhattan. In addition to learning about a nice little apartment in Greenwich Village, I learned about one of it's long time residents. Cheers to Mr. Bennett!
21
A delightful story. I support rent control, but would instill stiff penalties for anyone caught violating the agreement, including tenants who sublet for a profit.
15
Mr. Bennett is such an asset not only to the city at large but also to his community. Because of rent control, he's been able to stay in his apartment, get to know his neighborhood and community, and serve them well for over 20 years in the block association and community board. Mr. Bennett has more than repaid the city for his rent-controlled apartment. We all need more neighbors like him.
42
What a great story! I hope I’m as active and engaged in my community as Mr. Bennett when I’m 93.
24
The argument that owners never acknowledge in a battle with rent-controlled renters is that owners get a loan from the bank with a FIXED interest rate. That is, their mortgage is set at a fixed price. Other expenses, yes, do increase yearly and some hike in the base rent should be allowed.
The compound interest rate that this individual experienced over his 63 years in this apartment is roughly 3.8% yearly (based on initial rent of 90 and current rent of 900). I don't know what his landlord paid in increasing expenses. But barring major repairs that feels fair.
The only rent-control compromise that feels fair is one called vacancy decontrol. When an apartment is leased, the rent should stay at the initial level, with minor increases based on the cost of living. When the apartment is vacated, the rent should be allowed to rise to a market rate. Apartments should not be allowed to be kept within families or otherwise kept off the market when the original renter has left.
Yes, this means housing costs will rise in NYC. But the specter of subsidized renters taking timeshares in the Hamptons is not inaccurate.
4
I'm a NYC landlord. On average, it costs us about $1000/mo per apartment just to maintain our buildings in NYC (including property taxes which are exorbitant.)
Al's landlord is definitely not making money, but he's probably not underwater either.
11
Living in the Bay Area, I'm very sympathetic to the problem of finding affordable housing. SF is even pricier. There needs to be a solution to the problem, I just don't know what it is and I'm not convinced that rent control is it. It's great for the person who gets in and locks in that rent (and minuscule increases - I have a friend in her 50s that has been in her rent controlled unit since college. She pays a fraction of the market rate). But it's horrible for the property owner.
I can't imagine why someone would want to buy a property filled with people paying far less than it takes to maintain (this is one reason they get so run down!). It's not a good investment, because you can't really sell for what it's truly worth because the new owner will never be able to recoup the price from the rents, either. And if you try to move tenants out, be ready for long, costly, legal battles. No thank you! I'm not advocating for slum lords, but owning rent controlled buildings seems like far more headache than it's worth.
There needs to be a solution that is fair to both people who need affordable housing and to property owners and no one can seem to come up with one. For that reason, as much as I love SF, I rarely recommend that people move here. As it is, I plan on leaving in a few years when I retire so I can have a better quality of life. Culture is great, but not having to constantly worry about my housing is better!
5
@Josie
Investors like myself buy buildings with stabilized tenants
because over the years, many tenants eventually move out, giving us the opportunity to renovate and raise the rents.
It's very expensive to repair and maintain 100 year old cheaply built buildings like the one Al lives in. Without higher rents, you simply can't make it work.
2
I live in a rent stabilized apartment in Brooklyn. It’s been sold three times and it’s always quickly snapped up. So, it obviously *is* a good investment. The NYC system works quite well for everyone except those that are mad they don’t live in one and landlords who aren’t co tent being pretty rich because they aspire to obscenely rich.
5
@Tall Tree
I take it then that NYC does not allow adult children who have not occupied a specific rental unit and whose names are not on any lease to claim their parents rental with existing terms and conditions when the parents decide to move to a retirement community in another county. This does happen in SF. The max allowable rent increase in SF is calculated annually using a one off COLA designed by the rent control board. In ten of the past fifteen years this increase has been less than 1% while county water/sewer has gone up more than 50% and garbage has gone up almost as much in the same period. Food, wages and mass transit have also well exceeded 5% increases each year. Last week the City of SF decided not to raise the lowest rent in public housing from $25 per month.
1
My aunt and uncle rented a studio apartment on East 40th, between 2nd and 3rd. They lived there from the 1950’s until they passed away over for decades later. My aunt’s rent passed the $100 mark in the late 1990’s.
6
And then wonder why more isn't built when landlords can't charge market rates....
4
@David NEW buildings are not subject to any rent contol unless they take a specific subsidy. Buildings with insanely expenisve rents are sprouting like weeds all over the city and greedy owners are using illegal tactics to empty older buildings.
5
Albert’s story and life is what a life well lived means. Life is for living.
29
Never won the crazy housing lottery so I helped subsidize all these winners.
NYC has the MOST rent controlled housing by absolute number and percent of housing stock, while also having the least affordable housing in the country - the relationship between the two is predictable, unfair and unsustainable.
25
@Andrew Sorry, San Francisco has the honor of having the least affordable housing in the country.
2
Your bitterness is noted. But, hypothetically, had you found a rent-controlled apt would you have turned it down? Or, had you rationalized taking it, would you have imposed a time limit for yourself?
7
Andrew, Bravo. People like you have effectively been subsidizing the “good life” for this guy. I wonder if he realizes and is grateful?
2
The Times has run many beautiful stories about the quiet lives of older city residents.
Together these stories would make a terrific and inspiring book.
59
@Baba
HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE YOU MAKE
Lessons From a Year Among the Oldest Old
By John Leland
243 pp. Sarah Crichton Books/Farrar, Straus & Giroux. $26.
6
Rent control is essential for low to moderate income people to survive in a metropolitan area. Thank goodness Mr. Bennett has taken the opportunity to remain and contribute to NYC. Otherwise, the city would just be an overpriced playground for overpaid financiers. Working class people need some sort of consideration.
PS: I'm a landlord with multiple units who hasn't raised tenants' rents in 6 years despite rising costs.
487
Dude, in NYC property taxes are 1/3rd of gross rents.
In other words, the city takes $30 for every $100 of collected rent, before any other expenses are deducted.
It's also extremely expensive to hire professional repairmen in NYC. If you can't increase rents, you can't maintain old buildings in NYC. It's impossible.
31
@Don Langrehr
Hi Don,
I live in San Francisco and have been increasingly disturbed to learn that there are several people who move in my milieu who are well capable of paying market rate rent but don't have to, because they occupy rent controlled units. SF's housing issues have been at a crisis point for years. Why should a landlord have to bear the burden of subsidizing lazy/greedy people? Just like how BMR units are sold to people who go through the Mayor's Office of Housing, so should renters who claim hardship, go through BMR Renters protocols. This would do two things immediately: Free up rental units for those who are really in need and also in some way assuage landlords who may feel like they are having to chip in for the well-heeled, just to satisfy a city law that is not providing justice to those who are really in need.
9
Dude@Tall Tree, In that case the value of the building should decrease. Market-based economics. Speculators drive the price up.
11
Charming story, but rent control is a cancer to the city's housing stock. I rented for years, paid exactly four times the rent my neighbor did for the identical apartment because his was rent controlled. He made more money than I did and took a share in the Hamptons every summer, elaborate European vacations, etc. with all that money he didn't have to put into rent.
The number of people I know who have vacation homes in the Berkshires, Fire Island, the Caribbean, etc. because they pay nearly no rent could fill a phone book. Their lifestyle is heavily subsidized by the rest of us, even the poor who stuff their children into small market rate places.
I currently pay market rate for an office in a residential rent-controlled building that is dirty, dowdy and in need of multiple repairs because no one is ever going to move out if the stairs aren't cleaned or the plumbing isn't fixed.
If I could get the city to keep my rent to a third or fourth of what it would be otherwise, I'd be thrilled. But lets not pretend the rest of us aren't victims of a massively unfair and largely arbitrary system.
193
As a long term landlord in NYC, I can tell you from experience that cool old-timers like Albert Bennett are extremely rare these days. The majority of my long term rent stabilized tenants have serious mental issues and are extremely difficult to deal with.
44
@Sparky Well, if it makes your envy and resentment any less of a burden, rent control remains only on about 25000 NYC apartments, about 1% of the city's housing stock - and it's declining. It's direct effect on your "market rent" would be a rounding error.
106
@Sparky Instead of begrudging, you might consider how those of us who work or worked (as in my case) in productive but low-paid jobs. As a life-long school-teacher and school founder, I never made a great deal of money, and even with my rent-regulated apartment, I struggled through the years. Without it, I'd have had to move outside my beloved city and a few generations of students would have done without a dedicated educator, as I fancy I was. If you are personally inconvenienced by paying excessive rent, you should be in favor of MORE rent-regulation. Envy is never a rational basis on which to form an opinion, not to speak of its unattractiveness and moral repugnance. So I say you're due for a change of heart!
140
My grandparents owned a building in the west seventies and when rent control came around they sold the building taking a three bedroom three bath apartment with a formal dining room and a foyer and ten years free rent. After ten years the building went condo and they started paying rent. Some ladies bought the apartment and waited almost thirty years for her to pass away at age 97. Every time they refused to do any maintenance on the place, my mother threatened to move in, which was allowed, and the maintenance was then promptly done. After grandma passed, they made their killing selling the place for a few million. You gotta love New York.
13
Four years ago I moved into a so-called affordable housing unit after living for 17 years in a 5th floor walk-up studio in Manhattan. The Manhattan neighborhood had morphed from mixed age and race back in 1997 to land of sports bars and screaming 20-somethings, so when I got the call to interview for the new apartment I jumped at the chance. And yet, every time I pass through my old neighborhood I yearn for my little 5th floor nest. It was convenient; it was cheap; it had an odd charm, and it was a real New York apt.- warts and all - 100 years old, rusty water, tiny shower, no laundry in the building. Lack of laundromats became the deal breaker in the end, and I imagine will be even more of a problem going forward. Landlords can make money out of bars with tvs and nail salons. Why would they bother renting out their commercial space to a laundromat? It's very sad.
124
One of a million great NYC apartment stories.
Here's mine.
In 1970 I rented a dilapidated 250 sq.ft. apartment with a pull chain toilet, splintered floors and crumbling walls. Upsides - great location (W. 13th St.) and rent controlled $117.53. In shape like the photo in your article. I too put in a loft bed. When I vacated in 1987 (no longer my primary residence) the rent was $265/month. To this day I cherish it. Without it I would never have been able to live in Manhattan. God bless rent control, alas gone.
179
Our rent controlled/stabilized building has been sold to one of the those corporate landlords. They've renovated empty apartments into glorified dorm rooms, with 20-somethings paying $2000 apiece to live in an $8000 4-bedroom. Our building is slowly aging out. The new apartments will only attract young transients, not families or individuals who plan to stay a long time. This is how communities break down. I feel grateful for all my neighbors who I've known for 20+ years.
252
Same with our building, but our new landlord is on the top ten bad landlord list and been fined by the AG for a reason. The things they did/do to get us out are unconscionable. If we did not work with the nonprofit Cooper Square Committee and GOLES they would of emptied out the building of older, long term residents. It is obscene what they get away with. And the neighborhood, the poor neighborhood is barely that anymore, just a transient hub for wealthy partiers and the (mostly) wildly over-entitled who move here because it is "cool" but they have little idea of exactly why except for what they see in movies.
61
@figure8
The same thing occurs in so many major cities. 5 yrs ago my daughter lived in Philly. There were 6 in the apartment; each paying $1200/month. Multiply that by 4 floors & the landlord's doing quite well.
Fast forward to current day- she lives in San Francisco. Her room is an oversized closet but she pays $1600/month while her 4 roommates pay $1800. Again just one of 3 floors in a city where the landlords have the upper hand. Rental properties are hot commodities often coming on the market & renting in the same day.
2
My grandparents moved into their rent-controlled apartment in 1955. A 6-story building in Manhattan.
As of 2018, the landlord had managed to raise the rent to $2000 a month. This was done through building “capital improvements” increases.
A rent of $2000 is a good deal in Manhattan these days.
But a rent of $2000 is a huge hardship for elderly people on fixed income. I know of other elderly people in the same situation.
Not all rent controlled apartments are cheap.
238
@LS
A few thoughts come to mind:
1) they didn't budget or plan for their future
2) they can move out and join the rest of America
3) you can chip in for them
As you can tell, those paying market rates, mortgages, or commuting from a distance don't have much sympathy for rent controlled complaints since they've already won at life.
51
@Not Convinced
When I moved into my own rent-controlled apartment in 1968, I was making $45 a week—hardly enough to "plan for my future." Back then, brownstones in Brooklyn Heights cost $35,000. I guess I should have bought one with my nonexistent savings.
I'm now paying 10 times as much as I was then, but my rent is still a quarter of the going rate for this size place here. Thank goodness—and NYC—for SCRIE, Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption!
BTW, there are now less than 25,000 rent controlled (not stabilized!) apartments in NYC. All the others have been removed from the program due to death or other reasons.
117
@LS You failed to mention the size of the apartment. How many rooms is it? We readers can make a better comparison of their deal with that info.
7
I LOVE Mr. Bennett's apartment; it's warm and welcoming. I love the "punch" of the yellow paint, the gorgeous fireplace surround, and the elegant woodwork. It looks well thought-out and beautifully maintained.
Mr. Bennett has excellent taste, and there's so much character within those 4 walls!
339
I would love to take a walk with Mr. Bennett and listen to him expound on the cornices in his neighborhood. What a treasure he is. Rent control ultimately makes the city a richer place to live, maybe not in dollars but in cultural memory.
415
@Seahunt-Rent control was good in the beginning but like anything in life it was perverted.
There was so much paperwork to put in, many landlords never raised the rent to get a few bucks more and many people, although they could afford market rents, paid ridiculous low rents instead of doing what this man did.
This policy eventually gave us places like the south bronx burning in the 1970s.
10
@Seahunt. Rent control is fantastic for the lucky few who get a rent controlled apartment and get massive subsidies for life.
For the young people who have to live 3 people in a one bedroom because rents are so high due to the lack of supply that rent control creates, not so much.
12
@Sparky - As of 2017, fully 50 % of New York apartments are rent stabilized. They're probably just not in the neighborhoods your hypothetical young people want to live in.
11
These sorts of people and their stories, not the billionaires spending 200 million on trophy penthouses are what make a metropolis great and a magnet for all those that contribute to that great mystery, "quality of life."
Here's hoping Albert gets all the support he needs to stay in his little spot as long as he wishes
829
@Belasco
The billionaire who spent 200 million on an apartment
will pay NYC millions a year in property taxes which will be used to benefit everybody.
Al looks like a great guy, but he sure ain't supporting local schools, libraries, etc., like Mr. Billionaire is.
9
@Tall Tree What on earth are you talking about? The man is 90 and has been working his whole life in New York. He also volunteers his time even in retirement. The city would make a lot more money in both tax and productivity off of the people that would otherwise be living in that Billionaire's empty penthouse. Moreso, the city would benefit from the reduction in prices that a lack of billionaires would provide, allowing it to purchase and maintain municipal buildings for a lot less than it does today.
69
@Belasco
So true! I love reading stories about the quirky characters that make New York City the great city that it was as the city morphs into a similar version of sterile oligarch-owned London. I’ve been visiting NYC since my early 20s in the mid-80s and even stayed at a friend’s pad on Jones Street for a month in the 90s but it’s slowly changing into a starkly different city every time I visit. I guess in today’s global finance-driven world all the great cities will morph. Even LA, well, especially LA, is changing into a place so different from my 70s childhood. But the key to managing the change is preserving affordable space for seniors, artists, young families, and the fabulous characters like Albert who all make a city a truly great city. Keep shining the light on this fact, NYTimes and thank you!
31
You live on Morton street and your neighbor is going to shop for you at Gristedes????. Its horrible and way overpriced. I live in my tiny and much more cluttered rent stablized apt on Hudson and would be happy to shop for you at Brooklyn Fare which despite the name is closer to you and much, much . better and cheaper then Gristedes.
15
Everyone in New York City should be entitled to housing that is rent controlled (maximum, $300/month), or rent subsidized (NYCHA), or it should just be free. This is the New York City spirit: let the suckers -- (i.e., tax payers, those poor fools) -- pay the bills.
4
@DeKay The people on rent control pay taxes too.
5
First, bravo Albert! You are the last of a dying breed. When I lived in New York I met a number of people like him. I always considered them prisoners of their apartments because the deals they had were so screamingly good they couldn't/wouldn't consider giving them up or living anywhere else. Still, if you like where you live, and your rent is only $900/mo in 2019, why move?
7
It's folks like Mr. Bennett who paved the way for so many who live in Manhattan now. Until fairly recently in its history, New York was not for most Americans. It was a dirty, ethnically mixed, hardscrabble town without chain stores, designer doughnuts and fancy boutiques in every neighborhood - an acquired taste. Mr. Bennett moved in when the white middle class couldn't get out of town quick enough.
These days any tourist from Iowa can land in Manhattan and feel safe and secure while visiting all the same stores and restaurants they do back in Dubuque.
11
Wonderful story!
6
It's always great to hear people gleefully defending the right of the rich to steal and profit while simultaneously questioning whether elderly people "deserve" their rent controlled apartments. Do millionaires and billionaires also deserve their yachts, unoccupied, speculatory real estate assets, etc?
26
For all those commenters speaking negatively about rent control. Think for a minute how much richer the community is for having Mr. Bennet be a part of it.
32
@Harris Silver
I totally agree, and I'm a landlord, but this guy
is national treasure. He's one in a million.
7
A wonderful man, I wish him the best. His great-aunt Harriet Lane Levy knew Matisse! Wow!!!!!
17
It is sad to read through the letters in response to this article and come across people who are angry and resentful. I wonder whether they have been made bitter by life, or were always oriented that way. There is nothing in Mr. Bennett's story to provoke anger or resentment. He has a decent living situation in Manhattan, acquired via seniority, and is obviously not living in penury. But he is not living in any extraordinary luxury, either. He worked for a living, served his country, helped out in his community. And he seems to have had a decent relationship with his landlord(s), along with everyone else. Where does the anger come from?
105
@Susan I wholeheartedly agree.
2
As one gets older, why need an independant living, living in a dorm room (with other senior citizens) may be more viable - sharing a common kitchen (for 3 couples/6 people) and a common bathroom (for 3 couples/6 people). We should learn to minimize our wants and possessions.
3
@msk2, You need more than one bathroom for six seniors. And I hope you meant at least one separate room or each couple or single senior.
7
@msk2 - While that sounds nice in theory, people deserve and want their own spaces, particularly as they age. As for the shared kitchens/bathrooms you propose, some people aren’t as clean as others, while some simply might not be able to maintain cleanliness standards due to health issues, and this could cause tensions. A relative, for example, is fanatically neat, and would never be able to stand sharing a kitchen and bathroom with other people she didn’t know who I can almost guarantee would not be as neat as she is, and if they were slobs or filthy - some people are - it would be very upsetting for her to have to cook and shower in such a setting. And frankly, I wouldn’t want her to be 80 years old and living in a senior citizen dorm where she had to use and clean a shared kitchen and bath. Sorry, no. That was hard enough to do when I was in college, where I had a roommate who used to leave tuna can covers - the parts with the jagged edges - lying in the kitchen sink, while another spilled her makeup all over the bathroom counter every morning and never cleaned it up. I wanted my own space, not because I was so wrapped up in possessions but because I was sick of living with inconsiderate slobs. If the microwave at work is any indication, people still aren’t considerate of shared spaces.
This article wasn’t about minimizing wants and possessions to the point that the elderly are living communally, this was about an elderly man and his small apartment. Let’s focus on that.
4
The rent Mr. Bennett is paying varies by only a few dollars from what I paid for a newly-built three bedroom 1200 square foot brick duplex with attached garage here in South Texas. Perhaps the decision to live in New York City really is a decision to purchase a highly-priced commodity.
6
@Quiet Waiting - That's great, but not everyone wants to live in south Texas. There are opportunities in New York City - career, educational, artistic, and social - that simply do not exist in other parts of the country. People come here for that and then, a lot of the time, they end up staying.
This is not to say that you cannot enjoy your home in Texas or take pride in it. But people in New York City, particularly middle-class people and longtime residents such as this gentleman, also take pride in their homes. Designating their choices as nothing but "a decision to purchase a highly-priced commodity" is rude. Don't criticize their life choices. No one is criticizing yours.
58
@Quiet Waiting The culture, resources, and energy that New York City provides is priceless. That is why everyone in the world who wants to compete with the best in their field move here. The strong and passionate stay and the weak get weeded out.
18
@Quiet Waiting - Mr. Bennett's decision is based on wanting to live in New York City, one of the greatest cities not only in this country or the world, but in history. I just visited South Texas - it was very lovely, and I'm glad you're happy to live there in your newly-built three bedroom 1200 square foot brick duplex with attached garage. But it's not New York City. The 'commodity' you speak of that Mr. Bennett has purchased for the past 60 years are the experiences and memories of living in a city that rivals Paris, London, Tokyo, Rome, Alexandria, Athens, Berlin, Istanbul, Ur, Babylon, Carthage, Beijing etc. as the greatest cities in human history.
35
i rented near the University of California, Berkeley as well - 25 years after Mr. Bennett
- an upper room in an 1892 Victorian on Delaware Street for $167/mo.
Mrs. McCune even cleaned up for me, and 5 years later had raised it ot $250/mo. There was no rent control then, but the culture around Cal hadnt changed.
It is all very different now.
5
I don't live in NYC, I don't own a place in NYC and I don't rent a place in NYC. Nevertheless, I'm against rental control. I feel for people who can't afford but the reason rent is high, is rental control that reduces the number of units for rent shortening housing supply.
The problem is that people can't afford the short supply in rental units because income has stagnated.
BTW, $90 in 1955 is just about $900 in today's money. Mr. Bennett is paying just about the same as he did in 1955. But in the meantime Mr. Bennett moved from the basement to an upstairs apartment which became larger with renovations. Mr. Bennett is getting a bargain at the expense of every other New Yorker that is paying for his bargain in higher rent.
It's not about the landlord/lady getting more; it's about everyone else subsidizing Mr. Bennett.
14
@BWCA
Come for a visit to NYC and scan the skylines in Manhattan, Downtown Brooklyn, and Long Island City Queens in particular. I think you'll find the number of new residential towers (not to mention the less conspicuous smaller developments) belie a short supply of apartments.
There are plenty of units. Hardly any of them are truly affordable.
32
@BWCA
I live in a coop so I am not rent controlled, but I guarantee you that if rent control didn't exist, everyone would still be charged insane rents for whatever the market is. That's like the tax cuts for the rich are supposed to help the less rich- not so in the long run. They help the rich period.
40
@Lindsay K
"You may feel that he's getting something at the expense of everyone else in New York, where you admit you don't live, but I find it astounding that you are basically begrudging a 93-year-old man an affordable place to live."
Mr. Bennett may not be getting his apartment at the expense of "everyone else in New York", but he is getting it at the expense of his landlord who, presumably, could rent the place out at a higher rate.
I don't begrudge him an affordable place to live, and there are valid social arguments for protecting people who lived in the city during its worst times against the effects of gentrification. The mix of people makes the city a more interesting place to live and increases the value of property. But, the primary law of economics is "there's no such thing as a free lunch." Rent control is not a low-cost solution to the problem of affordable housing. The market rate is ALWAYS being paid. In this case, it is being paid by the landlord in the form of foregone rent. Perhaps it would be more fair if that difference were paid by taxpayer-funded vouchers?
6
Wonderful to read about Mr. Bennett's love for New York, the kind of deep love exhibited by those who got here from somewhere else. My grandfather was born not far from where Mr. B lives, and I still love walking around the neighborhood every once in a while. As I write, I am not too far away fro Piedmont, CA, where he is from, and I developed a love for San Francisco, a San Francisco that is largely gone now, similar to his love for NY, despite being from Queens. Absence, it seems, makes the heart grow fonder...for a new place.
13
@TW
The reason the old days were good it's because we were younger.
3
Good for him.
I rented a place in Boston's No End for 10 yrs 70s-80 for $150 a month (a tiny 4th floor 1BR walk-up with no central heat and a shared bathroom across the hall. I loved it)
The landlord had bought the whole bldg. for 20K in '73.
Forward 40 years and I'm helping my daughter find a place. I see my old apt in the listings - for more than ten times what I paid. Broker informs me same guy still owns it (has to be in late 80s by now)
I check it out - exact same only more decrepit. (oh, and now has a buzzer to get in)
Landlord is basically printing money.
Doesn't give a hoot about tenants.
Never did.
Is allowed to raise rent as high as people will pay.
If I had stayed there at 150 -plus ( rent stabilized )- he would still be turning a profit.
Oink.
No wonder there is a housing crisis in Boston.
28
You don't think the landlord's expenses and property taxes have gone up in 30 years?
20k was also a lot of money in 1973.
Your old landlord took a big risk, and kept the building
through good times and bad.
He deserves to be making money. And, no, if you were still living there, he would not be making money charging you $150/mo.
I own buildings in NYC and on average it costs about $1000/mo per apartment when you break down all the expenses and property taxes at year end.
4
@Tall Tree
If it's so tough being a landlord, why not sell out and go into an honest line of work?
5
@Alexander
I was planning to, but the market is not looking good. The Dems just took over and are threatening to pass all kinds of terrible new rent restrictions, so nobody is buying or selling.
1
When I came of age in the mid-70's the rule of thumb for working and middle-class people for housing was 1 weeks gross salary for a month's rent. In essence 1/4 of your salary went to rent. Now rent can be 3/4 or more of salary while health insurance rates have risen tremendously giving people dangerously little to save or even eat with.
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I visit a friend in Tribeca who's place is quite large. Having been there since 1981 he only pays $800 a month.
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@The Rum Cove
Even if he was 21 in 1981, he would be still be 59 now. He's probably older, maybe retired. Old people in the apartments they have lived in for decades are almost a cornerstone of NYC culture I hope he lives there till he dies - at 100+.
8
A small, sentimental vestige of a New York that barely exists anymore. People like Mr. Bennett are what made the city interesting, what made the city one of the great cities of the 20th century. But that romance of a great city, one that welcomed people from all walks of life, is fading fast. New York has grown to represent the worst case scenario of the nation's increasingly inequitable economic trends. And someday, when rising sea waters inundate it, it will not be missed.
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@Chris
I agree generally and would add that people like Mr. Bennett also represent those born connected to some wealth that insulates them against the ravages of the economy. I'm happy for him--he seems content with his life and to live in a way that is humble and leaves a small, positive footprint. Would we all live like him the world would likely be a more kind, thoughtful and pleasant place.
20
@Chris, Except for breaks for college and grad school, I have called Manhattan home since 1966. When I travel I am always thrilled to return here. Is it harder for young people and those of limited means to live in Manhattan than years ago? Certainly. But people still flock to our city from everywhere because they know they can find a place here and pursue their dream, whatever that may be. I love Manhattan and the fascinating encounters I have every day as I walk (never have to own a car here!) everywhere. I believe that those who disparage NYC the most are secretly envious that they can't live in what is still the greatest city in the world!
15
I don't disparage NYC but neither do I wish to live there. Yes, there are multiple cultural advantages of various sorts but the pace, pollution and population density send me screaming for life on a different level which, for me, means living on the edge of the known world. Not everyone wants to live at the epicentre of the 21st century. However, it is lovely to read about someone who has managed to live in a Very Big City and do so with a charming degree of humanity.
6
Wonder what his landlord says?
11
Remind me not to read that story.
1
Nice story. He seems to have led a good life...
19
You buy you lose in Manhattan. Unless you’re a billionaire you’re nothing in Manhattan. He ought be able to pay his $90. The Highline made his neighborhood a tourist dump. Bloomberg owes him a living.
12
@California He is paying $900 a month now - try reading the article.
6
Great story of a man who has been living off the others for 63 years what gives him or the government the right to demand a private citizen subsidize his living arrangement. Does or the Times care about the loss of income for the building owner who is forced to by an outdated law to subsidize this man. Just someone else feeding off of someone else’s hard work
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@EAH
People like Mr. Bennett are what make NYC amazing and interesting and artistic. I'd rather live next door to him than another finance wizard.
How about all the super wealthy billionaires pay their share of taxes so that communities can remain intact? I would rather have a local deli and laundromat than another high fashion store on my corner. There is a lot of money in this city.
If a landlord is truly unable to pay for their building's upkeep due to rent regulation then the government should assist them. Don't they do that for other types of industry in this country?
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@EAH, Did you miss the bits about the plywood ceiling, lack of closet, etc. I'm guessimg the kitchen is pretty primitive, too. It is a second fIoor walk-up. I agree he is getting a bargain, but market rate for this place would not be near average for a one bedroom in the far west village.
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@EAH
When one buys such a property they are well aware that there are tenants in a rent-controlled situation. It's likely the current owner was advised that Mr. Bennett was quite old and without dependents and cravenly thought, "just a few more years and I can jack that rent WAY up!" Jokes on him/her since it seems Mr. Bennett is postponing the increase.
17
To A. Stanton -
Who cares? To each their own. If it makes you happy, that's all that matters.
3
Superb, Thank you.
13
More photos, please!
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Go Bears! Am proud of a fellow CAL alum and (former) Piedmont resident! I’m just a little bit younger - I graduated in 1977.
16
Thank you for this true New York story. It's what fans the embers of romantic ideas that yes, you can live in NYC when you are in your nineties, grateful for what life has provided and surrounded by people who offer their help. BRAVO!
92
Emerson memorably pronounced,
"A city lives by remembering".
If grotesque affluence does not erase the vibrant diversity of New York, it will because of the stubborn continuity of social fabric and neighborhood preservation that pits the city's struggling middle class against chain store sterility and the invasion soulless glass towers.
81
Are you asking us to believe not every Manhattanite is a billionaire running a hedge fund? Hmmmm...
29
I'd be more interested in hearing about the thousands of people pushed out to the hinterlands.
8
More pictures, please! The terrace!
108
I would cherish the opportunity to shop for Albert.
42
In the end, all you really do need is a space to be comfortable, some food in the fridge, socks, underwear, and a few caring REAL friends who help out when needed.....
I like his impromptu "tiny house"! I could live like that too.
Single, I live-in a three bedroom one bath ranch house, with rooms I never use. I could happily live in the square footage Mr. Bennett occupies...actually, I do!!!
Good Luck Mr. Bennett....sounds like a perfect spot!!!!
68
I’d like to see a photo of Mr. Bennett’s terrace. That is the ultimate dream come true-rent-controlled apt with a terrace on a beautiful block in Greenwich Village.
41
Cornices are one of the joys of architecture gazing in any old city.
Perhaps Mr. Bennett will gift his piano to an aspiring musician and some enterprising carpenter can build him a murphy bed in its place. I'm a little concerned about his back, sleeping on a narrow sofa can't be conducive to restful nights.
48
@nom de guerre, Your concern is very kind, but take a careful loook at the sofa. It looks like a proper twin mattress, which would need little prep each night beyond moving the cushions onto one of the chairs. The foundation appears to be a captain's bed arrangement which gives excellent support; note the drawer fronts below the mattress. I agree the disguise is well done.
The trouble with a Murphy bed is that you have to have open space to fold it down into. I don't see that happening here.
5
Great story. Lots of interesting things said and not said.
20
Yes, this apartment, and this guy, are New York treasures!
52
What a life well lived! Mr. Bennett has a comfortable place with character, that suits him well. He seems to have been driven more in life from experiences, not collecting a lot of stuff. And the neighbors look out for each other. You can't ask for anything more.
65
It's a wonderful story indeed.... but all I could keep hearing in my head was GO BEARS!!!
11
Wonderful story about a survivor. He's been able to live his own life and (I assume) be happy with what he has. And in such a wonderful part of Manhattan as well. Godspeed to you, sir. You are a great success.
70
Our artist friend and his wife lived and worked in 2,000 sq ft rent-controlled loft on Bowery for several decades, for $700/month. Periodically they would have to engage in legal machinations with their landlord, to keep their r-c status. Now the art museum next door has bought them out. Which is fine, since my friends are approaching 90 and now in assisted living in North Carolina.
9
According to inflation calculators, $90 in 1955 was the equivalent of $843.27 today, so he's breaking even. But IMAGINE the utter impossibility of a young artist today finding their own apartment anywhere in Manhattan for a controlled rent of $843.27! New York has long ceased to become a haven for any artist without a significant trust fund.
183
@PW: he had a trust fund -- an inheritance SO HUGE, he voluntarily doubled his rent!
2
@PW the city (especially manhattan) is for the rich, unfortunately.
2
A city at its best. The community helping each other. For those of us who are city folk, this is what we want. A place that is safe with walkability to life. A neighborhood that is a true community. I wishMr.Bennett a longer run.
96
Lovely apartment.
Mr. Bennett is a New York City treasure.
150
Delightful story. The lifestyles and real estate in New York is so very different from most lifestyles throughout our nation.
I especially like that someone was going to shop for him which is all about a true community. We need more stories such as this especially now. Thank you.
255
Interesting story, I have not read the usual comments of the extremes ie thank God for rent control or the opposite rent control has ruined the city.
This guy did the fair thing, ie raise he own rent to a more fairer rent. I don't know why he regrets it, $900 a month is enough to feed a large dog and judging from his background he should be able to afford it. Anyway, at any point, assuming the Landlord did not put it any paperwork, he can resort to paying $90 a month again.
Mr Bennett is doing voluntarily what I have proposed for many yrs. to prevent housing crisis on both end, a minimum and maximum rent and let the market system determine the rates in between.
13
@Paul-An addition to my post, a good insurance policy is also added by doing the fair thing that Mr. Bennett is doing.
If he gets a slumlord in the future, he can tell them do you want $90 a month in rent or $900?
For want I can see $90 a month is the legal rent.
8
@Paul His legal rent was $200/mo after the move upstairs and the improvements.
3
@Paul
Mr. Bennett is a mensch.
6
This is likely the best possible example of how rent control can encourage diverse and interesting people to move to and remain in a city.
And yet, it's really not good enough: the immorality of the son of rich parents living practically for free while actual poor people go without is... not justifiable.
If we want artists, we should subsidize art, not rent.
36
@J c
At the time they were converted to apartments, both the vast West Beth apartments in the West Village and the Peaks Mason Mint buildings in Brooklyn Heights were subsidized housing for artists.
The market determines the worth of artwork—but not the worth of those who struggle to create it.
10
@J c
Subsidizing art just produces more art.
It doesn't produce good art.
15
@J c
IT's not "practically for free", it's rent that would be normal anywhere else. His Social Security isn't any higher because he's in Manhattan.
37
If not buying his townhouse for $65,000 more than 50 years ago was the best decision Mr. Bennett has ever made, I’d hate to see what was his worst. Assuming he’s paid an average of $500/month over the last 55 years, he’s paid out more than $330,000. Add to that the tax benefits he forfeited and hundreds of thousands of dollars in equity he’d have now.
His mother’s attorney gave him bad advice.
37
@Matt Williams
My guess is that had be bought the place, repairs and property taxes would have pushed him out. He might have gotten lucky and been able to borrow against the equity for repairs, but it would have undermined his long-term return by saddling him with a second mortgage.
He probably should have simply invested the difference between market rate rent and his rent-controlled rent, which is what he might have done if he was able to retire at 55.
44
@Matt Williams: Clearly you've never owned a building that old that was in need of serious structural repairs! In addition to the COST of the repairs, you'd also have to factor in the value of Mr. Bennett's time that would have been taken up in finding contractors, overseeing their work, doing endless paperwork to satisfy NYC's bureaucracy, etc.
Mr. Bennett has had, it seems, a nice life without all those aggravations.
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@Matt Williams
It takes an enormous amount of money to own property in NYC. It sounds to me like Mr. Bennett never held a job that offered much financial security. So he made the smartest decision at the time. Had he bought the apartment, he most likely would have lost it. Reading about the plywood ceiling made my skin crawl.
40
Fascinating story, thanks!
18
What more can you expect? He's a Cal man.
Great story. Thanks.
25
Sounds like a life well lived in the coolest city in the world. Lucky man.
211
@Gord Lehmann- while I love New York, I'll still take Paris as a first choice for that title. But by all means have at it!
6
This is an example of a person who has made a life out of passion for living creatively. It is a good thing that New York has had rent control or the city would be one dimensional; bunch of people in love with money and luxury status.
355
So lovely, thank you for this wonderful window into his life. Made my Monday.
146
My goodness what a delightful treat for a M Monday morning. Those that appreciate life in their small place in the world, live largely.
274
Mr. Bennett is a delight. New York is lucky to have him.
203
I have lived in the same Colonial-style house since 1983. Three bedrooms, one and a half baths, large open fireplace and an attached enclosed porch.
It was constructed in the middle of the Depression by Italian and Irish immigrants and is made of red brick -- as per the advice of the Wise Little Pig.
It is connected to a two car garage and has a driveway that catches the sun that melts the snow.
It contains a large basement and a large attic which keep me, my wife and my kids and our many hundreds of books dry.
It is surrounded by green grass, 6 huge oak trees that provide a cooling canopy of green leaves over the house in the summertime and a high colonial fence behind which my dogs and cats can run free.
There is a granite patio in the backyard for sitting and snoozing.
No air conditioning, but we own plenty of fans.
The house is located a few miles away from my doctor, dentist and vets offices, a large shopping center, banks, a university library and carry-out restaurants galore.
It was paid for many years ago.
Beat that Greenwich Village.
37
This isn't a contest.
To each his own.
A tiny apartment isn't for me, but Morton Street is charming; and I would gladly swap my house for one on that block.
Except that I could not afford the real estate taxes levied on those townhouses.
164
Residential real estate taxes are cheap in relation to the wealth of the house.
15
Residing anywhere in New York is a daily struggle I couldn't stomach. I admire and sympathize with each and every one of you who is able to endure it.
41
Lovely little piece to read on a Monday morning. Thank you, NYTimes. I wish continued good health to Mr. Bennett.
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