Residents of Sandy-Damaged Knickerbocker Village to Receive Rent Credits

This image has been archived or removed.

Knickerbocker Village, November 2012

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, residents of Knickerbocker Village were in the dark for an extended period of time. Even after power was restored to most of the neighborhood. Now comes the compensation.

Yesterday, our city electeds announced that tenants of the 1,600-unit Knickerbocker Village would receive rent credits for the nine days without electricity. The refund will be amortized over the January and February bills. Owners of the complex – a consortium including Area Property Partners – intend to offset these costs using funds obtained from insurance proceeds.

“Knickerbocker Village residents are finally going to see the rent relief they are entitled to” said Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. “Residents suffered without electricity, heat and hot water for weeks following Hurricane Sandy, remaining without these core services for longer than any other Manhattan complex. Relief has come slowly, but with the promise of rent abatements in January and February, and October’s allocation of federal funding for elevator repairs, things are moving in the right direction.”

This image has been archived or removed.

November 2012, Photo: Cindy Ng

“Knickerbocker residents faced a Sandy triple-whammy: the immediate impact of the storm surge flooding our neighborhood; weeks without heat and power; and ongoing repairs over a year later,” said State Senator Daniel Squadron. “But now, residents will receive some of the relief they need in the form of a rent credit – and it’s even possible they’ll see additional credit down the road. Thank you to Area Properties, my colleagues in government, and the Knickerbocker residents who helped make this a reality.”

“After Superstorm Sandy, the residents of Knickerbocker Village endured weeks in their homes without heat or electricity,” said Council Member Margaret Chin. “We have come very far since the storm to ensure that these buildings get the resources needed to repair and storm-harden, and recovery is an ongoing process even one year later. I thank the management of Knickerbocker Village for honoring its commitment to provide rent credits for those residents who went without essential services during those difficult weeks.”

This image has been archived or removed.

Knickerbocker Village campsite, November 2012

“This is a huge victory for tenants of Knickerbocker Village,” said Bob Wilson, a representative of the Knickerbocker Village Tenants Association. “We went through incredibly difficult times following the storm and this rent credit is a major step towards our goal of restoring and upgrading Knickerbocker Village. I want to thank Assemblyman Silver, who spearheaded this effort, along with Senator Squadron, Borough President Stringer, and Council Member Chin.”

Problems persist one year later, though. Two months ago, the city allocated $1.46 million from the Build It Back program in order to fix the elevators. There are also plans to fully replace the electrical and heating systems of the complex.