Carl P. Nagin an Expos teaching assistant on leave this team waited a year for the opportunity to rent a Harvard apartment at 70 Hammond St. for $250 a month. One of the other tenants in the three family building moved out in October and Harvard has plans to sell hopefully to a faculty member. When it does it the new owner moves in the remaining tenants will no longer benefit from Cambridge's strict control of rents and landlord relations. Nagin says his rent could climb to as much $900 in which case he would be forced to look for another of the very few available affordable apartments in the area.

Nagin and others maintain the University should be doing more to help its tenants relocate at the very least, HRE officials say the residents will be able to rejoin their waiting list for housing, but that list is too long to be of much help, according to tenants. Nagin and Michael H. Truk head of the Harvard Tenants Union are also upset because HRE didn't give him and other tenants notice of their intentions cutting the time to scout for new housing. Nagin speculates the Harvard run agency was primarily interested in collecting rent for as long as possible before a sale.

Turk calls the policy "disastrous and irresponsible," accusing HRE of trying "to make a nice quick profit" at residents expense.

According to tenants, Harvard will probably make a large profit from the sales because many three family buildings are appraised at higher prices than larger multi units, which must remain under rent control even if they are owner occupied. The new landlords may more than triple present rents in order to compensate for the high sale price they taking the units out of the reach of most Cambridge residents tenants add.

Turk says he also objects to what he terms the erosion of the Agassiz and Riverside neighborhoods as Harvard expands its holdings there. He adds selling more apartments to affiliates would all but absorb those areas into the campus.

In the past Harvard and city residents have clashed over the University's skirting of rent control Last spring. HRE made capital improvements in several apartments, which according to rent control regulations is an acceptable reason for raising rents.

But the rules also stipulate permits for significant construction must be obtained through the city and Harvard neglected to do this. Tenants say that the work was unnecessary and that HRE just used them as an excuse to get around the law. HRE officials attributed the violations to oversight on the part of the contractors hired by the University.

The dispute over the Harvard owned Craigie Arms will most likely remain in litigation for some time to come. The University is asking for an exemption from rent control on the grounds that substantial renovation is necessary. The city on the other hand would not like the building made into condominium housing and believe costly rehabilitation could keep rents there in the low and moderate range.