Kushner firm fined for giving NYC false data
City cites 42 instances of skirting rent control
NEW YORK — Jared Kushner’s family real estate business was fined $210,000 by New York City for falsifying construction permit applications by underreporting rent-regulated tenants in 17 buildings.
Kushner Cos. filed the false data on 42 occasions since 2013, New York’s Department of Buildings said Monday. The company, based in New York, is owned by family members of Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
New York requires developers to report the number of rent-regulated occupants in buildings earmarked for renovation to prevent disruptive construction projects from being used to harass them. When rent-stabilized tenants move out, the units can be rented out at much higher rates.
“Protecting tenants is a key part of our mission to make construction safe for all New Yorkers, and we are determined to hold landlords accountable for the accuracy of their applications, no matter who they are,” the Department of Buildings said in a statement.
The Kushner Cos. said it will appeal the fines.
Spokeswoman Christine Taylor said the real estate company, once run by presidential adviser Jared Kushner, relied on “third-party consultants” to prepare its applications for construction permits and the errors “have been corrected or will be.”
Taylor said that “in no case did the company act in disregard of the safety” of its tenants.
Kushner Cos. filed more than 80 documents for buildings across
New York City stating that it had no rent-regulated units, when there were actually hundreds, The Associated Press reported March 18, citing a study by the nonprofit Housing Rights Initiative. The filings allowed the company to raise rents and push out tenants who would have otherwise been protected, the AP said.