David Ng, a Manhattan lawyer who frequently represents tenants, pointed out that a landlord does not have to specifically identify a tenant's actual residence.
The tenants point to profits reported by landlords of 22,000 Westchester apartments to the New York State Department of Housing and Community Renewal.
Other tenants point to the broken windows, exposed electrical wires, leaky faucets, and the mildew that clings to the walls of their bedrooms, closets and bathrooms after each rainstorm.
As evidence of Mr. Giuliani's influence, tenant leaders pointed out that all three of his new appointees switched their votes in support of the higher rents.
Tenant advocates pointed out that a study by the board itself had found that expenses for landlords had not increased over the last year, and said that the board should have voted not to raise rents at all.
(Lucas Ferrara, a Manhattan landlord-tenant lawyer, pointed out that there are certain services that the Division of Housing and Community Renewal has deemed to be "de minimis".
Walt Senterfitt of the Los Angeles Tenants Union pointed to the battle over rent increases faced by mariachi musicians at a Boyle Heights building, which was built a few years too late to fall under rent stabilization restrictions.
"Artists are not the easiest people to live with from -- excuse me for using a bad word -- a landlord-tenant point of view," Mr. Doctorow says.
Ms. Nadel, the lawyer, says that if a landlord tells her that he or she will not negotiate with tenants, she points to a stack of eviction files and says the chances of finding a new tenant are slim.
Some very large properties in the region have found useful new lives after space was broken up to suit multiple tenants, other brokers pointed out.
