There's a whole genre of New York City Crime where landlords try to kill or maim their tenants to get them out of rent stabalized apartments. Landlord Hired 2 Assailants, Authorities Say... Growing up my dad used to tell me about all sorts of cases like this- he's a lawyer who specializes in defending the tenants.
[Jen]: Here is the city's site on New York Rent Guidelines. The most famous recent case of a landlord-tenant dispute is that of Michael Sullivan and Camden Sylvia, who were last seeng in November 1997, while in the midst of a fight with their landlord over their $300/month loft on Pearl Street. The landlord had been cutting off their heat, to get them to leave the building. A Village Voice article about their disappearance.