But a building that was built in the 1920s requires constant maintenance. Over the past 20 years, my costs have increased by more than twice the rate of rents I’m allowed to charge under the New York City Rent Guidelines Board. Property taxes, fuel costs, electricity — everything has gone up. However, when I need to make a major improvement to my building today, like repairing the boiler or putting on a new roof, I can at least apply to the state for a small rent increase to help pay for it.