Tenants at Alta LIC sue over alleged rent overcharge scheme

A flashy Long Island City rental tower is at the center of a legal fight that could cost its owners millions. Tenants at the 44-story Alta LIC say the building’s landlord — an ownership group linked to Baron Property Group, Simon Baron Development and Affinius Capital, along with property manager Dermot Company — illegally inflated rents on hundreds of stabilized units.  A lawsuit filed this week in Manhattan Supreme Court accuses the team of luring tenants during the pandemic with discounted “move-in” rents, then yanking the concessions at renewal and resetting rents at higher levels, in violation of state law, […] This article originally appeared on The Real Deal. Click here to read the full story.