Tenants Hit With Rent Hikes Of $100 To $200 After A Sale Banded Together, 24 Refused To Sign Leases, And The Landlord Has Already Cut His Offer To $75 A Month

Nancy Dorian says the first time her rent jumped, she cried. “I couldn’t even believe it,” she told the Daily Hampshire Gazette. This time, she says, “I’m not doing it.”

A tall brick apartment building with balconies on every floor.

Dorian and her neighbors at the Pleasant View apartments in Easthampton, Massachusetts, are pushing back after a change in ownership brought a fresh round of rent increases. The Gazette covered the standoff in its report on the Pleasant View rent negotiations.

A Notice Through An App Landed In August

In August, multiple residents received notices of increases ranging from $100 to $200. They learned of the hikes through an online property management app, which also prompted them to renew their leases by Oct. 1.

The complex, at 22 Nashawannuck St., has 33 one- and two-bedroom units across four buildings. It is not the first shock. Two years ago, the owners hit multiple tenants with $400 increases.

Many tenants were startled again, but this time they decided not to accept the increase without a fight.

24 Tenants Signed A Letter Saying They Would Not Sign

Dorian and others banded together to negotiate with one of the current landlords, Jay Patel, who bought the property for a little more than $5 million about a year ago, according to property deed records.

Across the units, 24 tenants signed a letter saying they would not sign the lease. Many are part of the Pleasant View Tenants Association and are in negotiations.

Dorian pays $1,450 for her two-bedroom unit and received an initial proposed increase of $160, which would have raised her rent to $1,610.

The Landlords Countered At $150, Then Cut To $75

In the first round, tenants asked for smaller increases and a multiyear lease for stable costs, compared with the original notice that held them to a month-to-month lease. The landlords countered by offering to cap increases at $150 and declined a multiyear agreement.

The tenants did not budge. In the second negotiation they held to their requests, and the landlords replied with the offer that stands now.

That offer calls for multiyear leases, an immediate $75 increase to monthly rents, and a 5% annual cap over the next three years, with no deadline to sign. Dorian says tenants are weighing their next steps.

“The Override Is Probably One Of The Bigger Drivers,” Says The Landlord

Patel told the Gazette the increases were necessary after the purchase because of several rising costs, including Easthampton’s recently approved $6.9 million Proposition 2½ override.

“The override is probably one of the bigger drivers; it’s probably the majority of costs that we’ve factored in,” he said. He added that management and insurance costs are rising, and that Easthampton approved a 5% increase to water and sewer rates earlier this year. “We have to manage all of that,” he said.

The property is assessed at about $3.1 million for fiscal 2026, with an annual tax bill of about $41,000, according to Easthampton’s override calculator. The override, which will show up on tax bills in December, would add about $8,000, bringing it to roughly $49,000.

“Times Are Tough For Us, Too”

Tenants say their own costs are climbing as well. Andrey Popchuck, who was originally given notice of a $200 increase, says the landlords have not been understanding.

“We’re saying, ‘We need you to at least consider that times are tough for us, too,’” Popchuck said.

Jack Duggan pointed out that several veterans, older residents and others have lived there a long time. “We’re great tenants. This is our home,” he said. “People are invested in this. [Some] people have been here almost 20 years.”

Patel says the landlords are listening. “We’re trying to listen to the concerns of the tenants and revise our offer to meet that feedback,” he said. “We’re here and open to continuing to discuss.”

A Building That Has Changed Hands Three Times In A Little Over A Year

In October 2024, Daniel and Joseph Scherban of the New York-based agency Rowin Capital bought the property for $4 million. A month later, many tenants received $400 rent increase notices, representing hikes of 35% to 40%. Some increases were less and some more, and multiple tenants ended their leases and moved out. Dorian says she accepted the increase, as did many others, feeling it was her only option.

In October 2025, Patel bought the building from the Scherbans through a limited liability company called Easthampton Pleasantview. He and his business partner Naresh Patel, who are unrelated but share a last name, are part of Easthampton-based Ivory Equity real estate.

Patel says part of the reason they bought was to keep ownership local, compared with the former out-of-state landlords. “Candidly, Naresh bought this property for more than it was worth,” he said. Naresh Patel was not available for comment.

For context, federal Department of Housing and Urban Development figures put a fair market rent for a two-bedroom unit in Hampshire County at about $2,000 for fiscal 2027, up from about $1,500 in fiscal 2025.

What Tenants Can Learn From Pleasant View

Every state and city has different rules, so treat these as general ideas rather than legal advice.

Organize early. A group of neighbors with a shared letter and a clear list of requests has more weight than a single reply to a notice.
Ask for what you actually need, such as a multiyear lease and a firm cap on yearly increases. Pleasant View tenants asked for both.
Keep a record of each round of offers, including dates and numbers, so you can compare them.
Check your local fair market rent figures from HUD so you know where your rent sits.
Do not feel rushed. The latest offer from management came with no deadline to sign.

The standoff is still unresolved, and tenants are deciding what comes next. For now, 24 households are holding out together, and the landlords are still at the table.

Willow and Hearth