[NYC] landlord charging $500 holdover fee/lease renewal issues, advice needed
I live in NYC and I’ve been renting my apartment for 3 years. It’s owned by a corporate landlord and although I haven’t had many problems with the apartment, the corporate landlord is generally not responsive and difficult to get in contact with. They don’t answer their phone lines and they take days to reply to emails, and are unwilling to do any repair work on the apartment. But I love my apartment and the rent is reasonable so I have never complained. (Also my apartment is excluded from the good cause eviction laws)
For the previous lease renewals, they mailed the lease renewal offer and documents to me more than 3 months before the lease end date. There is no option to sign the renewal online, so I had to sign the papers and mail it back to their office on Long Island, and pay the security deposit increase on the online payment on the rental portal. Also, the lease renewal documents stated that if the lease renewal or notice to vacate is not returned within one month of the lease end date then a holdover fee of 25% of the rent will apply each month until the tenant vacates. The first renewal, they mailed me back my copy of the executed lease with the landlord signature. But for the second renewal (last year), they did not mail me back a copy, so after waiting a month I reached out to the leasing office to ask if they received my documents, they were slow to respond and all they said was “there is a 3-4 week turnover for co-signed leases” not actually acknowledging if they received my document or if it was being mailed back. Eventually my lease renewal date came and there was no holdover charge. This year they were a little late to send my lease renewal offer, they sent it to me 80 days before the lease end date. I mailed it to them mid March and paid the security deposit increase on the rental portal, which was accepted and designated as such. Because last year they never mailed me back my copy and were extremely vague with confirming the renewal, I thought I didn’t need to proactively reach out for confirmation that the lease renewal was received, so I didn’t think anything of it. Until yesterday, they posted the invoice for June’s rent (my first month under the new lease) and the amount included the 25% holdover fee. I was genuinely shocked and confused because I mailed my lease renewal two months ago and paid my security deposit increase. I emailed them asking them to correct the charges and there was no response. Today I called their office at 3 different extensions and no one picked up, so I left voicemails and I sent an additional email today as well. But I’m getting anxious because the charges are due on June 1st, and I don’t want to pay this unfair fee (also it will apply every month apparently, effectively increasing my rent by $500 until I move out). But I always pay my rent early every month and have never withheld rent so I’m just scared to ignore the fee if they don’t answer me in time.
What should I do? I have screenshots of the rental portal ledger that shows I paid the security deposit increase in March, which I feel shows mutual acknowledgment of the lease renewal confirmation. I took a photo of my lease renewal document with my dated signature before I mailed it, but I sent it in the regular mail, not certified, so I don’t necessarily have confirmation that it was received. I also have copies of my periodic emails throughout the year reminding them that they never mailed me back the executed lease renewal copy. I genuinely can’t afford this rent increase (the original renewal offer was a $100 increase, plus this $500 holdover fee makes it a $600 increase in total) but I love my apartment and I don’t want to leave.