Real Property Law Section 230 states:

"1. No landlord shall interfere with the right of a tenant to form, join, or participate in the lawful activities of any group, committee, or other organization formed to protect the rights of tenants; nor shall any landlord harass, punish, penalize, diminish, or withhold any right, benefit, or privilege of a tenant under his tenancy for exercising such right.

While the presentation focused on zoning issues in the Upper West Side (UWS), it presents a good basis for understanding zoning and how it can be used to preserve affordable housing Click on "READ MORE" below for some details.

The main ingredient, as might be expected, is community activism, especially involvement with the local Community Board covering your neighborhood.

Click here for the informative slides used in the presentation. Affordable housing becomes central beginning at Slide 6.

If your building is still in Mitchell-Lama, the landlord is only entitled to the cost of running the building plus a 6% return on his investment. The cost of running the building may rise where the landlord invests money in something that benefits the whole building, such as a new roof, elevators, or windows.

But: the rents may only stay at the increased level until these improvements are paid for. At that point, the rent should go down again.

You need a careful, informed review may also be necessary when the building is about to leave Mitchell-Lama.

So you need someone who can go over the landlord's claimed costs and income with careful eye.

In addition, when fighting a rent increase at the state's Division of Housing & Community Renewal or the city's Department of Housing Preservation & Development -- or the federal Department of Housing & Urban Development -- those agencies often respond better to professionals.

The2004 report includes colored maps of Mitchell-Lama developments (both rental and co-op) that remained in or were leaving (or have left) the Mitchell-Lama program.

The later report has multicolored charts.

The 2004 report details a loss of nearly 1/3 the Mitchell-Lama homes in New York City -- truly making this place "Affordable No More."