“Some of the highest rent increases we’ve seen with our membership a member in Brooklyn who’s getting a $1,200 increase,” said Hernandez. “We have a member in Queens who is getting a $900 increase. These are outrageous rent increases and obviously a big part of that issue is the lack of regulation. “[For people who don’t live in rent stabilized apartments] there is no protection against any rent hike. For a lot of folks a rent increase that is big enough is the same as an eviction, even though you don’t go through an eviction process.”