DHCR Announces New Online Rent Registration

Easy-Rent-Reg will increase efficiency, eliminate errors in mandatory apartment registration process

ALBANY, NY (04/14/2010)(readMedia)-- The New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) today announced that owners of rent regulated apartments in New York State can now fulfill their Annual Rent Registration requirement completely online, avoiding time-consuming errors and eliminating paperwork and the need to mail forms or disks to DHCR.

DHCR's new Easy-Rent-Reg is a web-based system that allows owners to complete and submit registrations on the web, print tenant forms, and certify registrations online. Buildings will be processed quickly, efficiently, and mistake-free. Easy-Rent-Reg is secure and simple to use. It streamlines the entry process, automates certification and submission, produces printed forms, and allows building and apartment information to be updated as changes occur during the year, making it easier for future annual filings. Information is stored on a DHCR server, eliminating the need for users to perform their own back-ups.

Brian Lawlor, Commissioner of DHCR and CEO and President of nyhomes, said, "This new system is a win-win for all involved. It simplifies the process for building owners, expedites the availability of information to tenants, and protects the environment and cuts costs by dramatically reducing the use of paper. This is the latest in a series of steps DHCR has taken to utilize technology to improve transparency and improve efficiency in order to administer the rent laws in an open, fair, and responsible manner."

DHCR has implemented a variety of enhancements to its Rent Administration Office over the past several years, including:

• Increasing outreach to tenants, tenant organizations, and landlords

• Making forms available online

• Allowing owners to file Maximum Base Rent forms and Annual Fuel Cost Adjustment reports electronically on the DHCR website, reducing costs and paperwork

Easy-Rent-Reg can be used to register properties from 2008 to the present. Owners may input current-year data into the online system starting immediately. Registrations prior to 2008 must be completed manually. Visit the DHCR website at http://nysdhcr.gov/Apps/RentReg/ for details on using Easy-Rent-Reg.

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