Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NYC Rent Board Will Consider Extending Rent Freeze For Stabilized Tenants
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published May 6, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published May 6, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
New York City's rent board voted on Wednesday to consider extending a rent freeze for the city's stabilized tenants, keeping the possibility of a modest increase on the table while rejecting the landlord group's proposal for a steeper hike.
In a preliminary vote, the mayor-appointed Rent Guidelines Board indicated that they would consider keeping rents flat on one-year leases for regulated tenants, with a ceiling of a 2% increase. The possible range for two-year leases will be between 1 and 3%, the panel signaled.
The preliminary vote comes after the board voted last summer to freeze rents on one-year leases, citing the extraordinary economic toll of the pandemic. The nine-member panel — composed of five public members, and two each representing landlords and tenants — will cast a final vote next month.
The possibility of another rent freeze has incensed landlord groups, including the Real Estate Board of New York, which has argued that the board failed take into account additional operating expenses incurred due to COVID-19 safety protocols. Joseph Strasburg, the president of the landlord-aligned Rent Stabilization Association, called the proposal "beyond irrational."
At Wednesday's meeting, the board's owner-representing members alleged that the recent rent freezes approved by the board — four in the last seven years — amounted to a "disinvestment plan" in the city's stock of roughly 1 million rent regulated apartments.
“The impacts to owners over the past 15 months have been historically unprecedented," said landlord-member Scott Walsh, whose own proposal to raise rents close to 6% on some leases was shot down by the board. "A real estate owner is not a public service entity," he added.
In response, Sheila Garcia, one of two members representing tenants, noted that landlord groups had routinely claimed the "sky would fall" if they were not permitted to raise rents on regulated apartments.
She said that most struggling tenants have yet to receive any rent relief, and noted that the billions of dollars in federal funding that is soon to be disbursed will also help landlords. Earlier this week, the state officially extended the eviction moratorium through the end of August.
"Our assumption that tenants are going to have all the back rent pay is premature," Garcia added. "For folks in the Bronx, for folks across the city who were struggling during the pandemic, the struggle is ongoing."
Her own proposal to roll back rents on one-year leases by up to 3% was, like the one put forth by landlords, rejected by a vote of 7-2. The board has never before voted to decrease rents.
After nearly an hour, Board Chair David Reiss put forward the compromise ranges, which passed 5-4, with opposition from both landlord and tenant representatives.
The public will have a chance to testify at virtual hearings next month. A final vote is expected on June 23rd.
Tagged
rent
rent guidelines board
RGB
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .