Rent Increase Specialist for the Division of Tenant Resources

About the Agency:

The NYC Department Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) promotes quality and affordability in the city’s housing, and diversity and strength in the city’s neighborhoods because every New Yorker deserves a safe, affordable place to live in a neighborhood they love.
· We maintain building and resident safety and health
· We create opportunities for New Yorkers through housing affordability
· We engage New Yorkers to build and sustain neighborhood strength and diversity.
HPD is entrusted with fulfilling these objectives through the goals and strategies of Housing Our Neighbors: A Blueprint for Housing and Homelessness, Mayor Adams’ comprehensive housing framework. To support this important work, the administration has committed $5 billion in new capital funding, bringing the 10-year planned investment in housing to $22 billion—the largest in the city’s history. This investment, coupled with a commitment to reduce administrative and regulatory barriers, is a multi-pronged strategy to tackle New York City’s complex housing crisis, by addressing homelessness and housing instability, promoting economic stability and mobility, increasing homeownership opportunities, improving health and safety, and increasing opportunities for equitable growth.

Your Team:

Section 8, also known as the Housing Choice Voucher Program, provides federal funding for subsidies for eligible low-income families to rent decent, safe, and affordable housing in a neighborhood of their choice. Families pay a reasonable share of their income toward rent and the subsidy, paid by HPD directly to the landlord, makes up the difference, within specified limits. The unit must also meet federal Housing Quality Standards and will be inspected prior to move in and once annually. HPD administers a number of rental subsidy programs. Taken together, HPD serves approximately 38,000 households in all five boroughs. Over 9,000 landlords currently participate in our programs. HPD provides vouchers to families in buildings developed or renovated under certain HPD programs, and to homeless individuals referred by Department of Homeless Services and Human Resources Administration providers. The Client and Owner Services Program handle the Client Services, Rent Increase, Owner Services and Moves Units.

The Division of Tenant Resources is seeking a Rent Increase Specialist. The selected candidate will serve as a Rent Specialist in DTR’s Owner Services Unit, reviewing rent increase requests submitted by landlords and management agents working with data systems to identify developments with restricted rents sponsored by HPD programs, identifying any Section 8 assisted units in such developments with restricted rents ensuring that the program is correctly indicated in the Elite database, and checking verification systems to confirm that the contract rent is appropriate. If not appropriate, the selected candidate will notify owners and management agents and process rent corrections. The selected candidate will work with specialized reports to track findings, identify inconsistencies between regulated and S8 rents, identify landlord non-compliance with regulations, and input corrections. In addition, the selected candidate will coordinate and communicate with other HPD Divisions to ensure compliance and consistency in implementation of Section 8 assisted rents.
Key responsibilities

Rent Increase Specialist will run various reports from the Elite database and from other databases used in Section 8 to maintain and track all rent increase requests. Rent Increase Specialist will attend mandatory trainings to enhance skills needed for the position.

1. High school graduation or equivalent and three years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to duties described above; or
2. Education and/or experience which is equivalent to “1” above.