BX tenants turn out for rent rules hearing

Bronx renters flooded a public hearing by the housing officials as the Rent Guidelines Board mulls new rules for rent stabilized apartments.
Tenants and landlords alike packed a conference room at the Bronx Museum of the Arts to plead their case before the board.
The board is considering allowing up to a 2 percent increase on one-year lease renewals and .5 to 3.5 percent increases on two-year leases that begin this October.
City officials say the decision will affect about a million Bronx residents.
Robert Blunt, 54, is one of them. He says he works three jobs to afford his Morrisania apartment, and that rent goes up while his paychecks do not.
Landlords argued that the costs of utilities and building maintenance are also on the rise.
Two more similar hearings are planned elsewhere in the city before the board votes.