Landlord sued for increasing rent, forcing tenants out

The Legal Aid Society of New York plans to file a class action suit in The State Supreme Court today against Urban American Management Corp., owner of 3333 Broadway, for allegedly turning low-income units to market rate ones without proper public notice. The 35-story building, at 135th Street, has 4,000 residents, 300 of whom have moved out since 2005 when the building’s original owner opted out of the Mitchell-Lama program, according to Eviction Intervention Services. Monthly rents in the building jumped from $755 for a one-bedroom to $1,800, and $897 to $2,300 for a two-bedroom unit.