NEW YORK—
The Rent Guidelines Board is meeting on Tuesday for a rare revote on rent increase ranges for nearly 1 million rent-stabilized apartments.
It comes after the board approved preliminary guidelines last month that would allow rent hikes of up to 4.75% for one-year leases and up to 7.75% for two-year leases.
Mayor Eric Adams has said the upper end of the guideline range is too much of a burden for tenants.
The board will finalize how much landlords can charge rent-stabilized tenants with a vote in October 2025.
The board, created by Adams, approved rent increases for rent-stabilized apartments last year. Landlords were allowed to raise the price of rent by 2.75% on one-year leases and 5.25% on two-year leases starting on Oct. 1.
The New York City Rent Guidelines Board is set to hold a rare revote on proposed rent increases for rent-stabilized apartments, amid mounting backlash from tenants, housing advocates, and elected officials.
In response to the uproar and procedural concerns raised by board members and the public, the Rent Guidelines Board announced it will revisit the decision at a special session scheduled for next week. A formal revote on the preliminary guidelines is expected.
“We’ve heard significant public feedback, and it’s important we make this process as transparent and fair as possible,” said David Reiss, chair of the Rent Guidelines Board. “This revote will allow for more input and potentially a recalibration of the proposed ranges.”
The board’s decision affects nearly one million rent-stabilized apartments across the five boroughs — housing that provides a crucial buffer for low- and middle-income New Yorkers amid soaring market rents.
Tenant advocates have called for a rent freeze, citing inflationary pressures, job instability, and the lingering effects of the pandemic. “This is not the time to raise rents,” said Judith Goldiner, attorney for the Legal Aid Society. “Working families are barely scraping by, and this kind of increase could push thousands into housing insecurity.”
On the other side of the debate, landlord associations have argued that modest rent increases are necessary to cover rising property taxes, insurance costs, and maintenance. “We’re simply asking for a fair adjustment,” said Jay Martin, executive director of the Community Housing Improvement Program. “The costs to operate these buildings have skyrocketed, and landlords need the means to keep them safe and livable.”
Mayor Eric Adams, who appoints members to the board but does not directly control the vote, has called for “balance” in the process. “We have to protect tenants from displacement while also ensuring building owners can maintain properties,” he said in a recent press briefing.
The final vote on the rent guidelines is scheduled for late June, and the results will go into effect for leases renewed after October 1. But for now, all eyes are on the upcoming revote — a high-stakes moment in the ongoing battle over housing affordability in New York City.
“This is about the future of housing stability for hundreds of thousands of people,” said tenant organizer Maria Lopez. “We’ll be watching — and showing up — until the very end.”
