Prior tenant's moving circumstances affect your rent
The continued skyrocketing of "market" rents has encouraged many landlords to buy a rent controlled building, evict the tenants for ridiculous reasons, raise the new rents to market levels, and then sell the property at double the purchase price, making obscene profits in the process. The process is called "flipping," and truly exploits the shortage of housing in the cities and tenants' lack of knowledge. These landlords believe that they can raise the rent to any amount in all circumstances where the prior tenant was evicted or moved "voluntarily." That's where your knowledge here uses the landlord's own greed and dishonesty against him. Not all situations where the landlord has evicted the tenant permit that landlord to raise the rent to whatever they want for the next tenant In fact, the landlord is entitled to raise the rent for the new tenant ONLY if his eviction of the prior tenant was for (1) nonpayment of rent, (2) violating a term of the lease, or (3) refusing to temporarily relocate for major rehabilitation [but even then, only where the landlord has complied with the law in every respect, including all relocation assistance and notices]. If the prior tenant was evicted for any other reason [such as: most nuisances (Reg. 151.06(C)(9)), physical damage, termination of Section 8 assistance, illegal subletting, illegal use, to move in a manager or relative [Reg. 151.06(C)(4)], refusing to let the landlord in to make repairs, or to comply with a government order], the rent CANNOT be increased for the new tenant - you - beyond the legal maximum.
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