New York City’s rent-stabilized apartments have implemented the new “zero rent increase” measure for the upcoming year starting on October 1st. Any one-year or two-year lease renewal starting between October 1, 2026, and September 30, 2027, will have a 0% increase in rent. Landlords are prohibited from raising the rent according to this year’s rent guidelines for eligible tenants renewing their leases.
The Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) of New York City passed the above-mentioned rent adjustment standards on June 25th of this year. These standards are applied to apartments and lofts subject to rent stabilization regulations.
In contrast, the previous year allowed for a certain level of rent increase. For lease renewals starting from October 1, 2025, to September 30, 2026, one-year leases could be increased by 3% and two-year leases by 4.5%. Hence, the applicable rent increase for tenants depends on the effective date of the lease renewal, not the signing date. For example, even if a tenant signed the renewal in September, as long as the new lease is effective from October 1st or later, both one-year and two-year lease renewals have a 0% increase.
The “zero rent increase” measure does not apply to all rental housing in New York City. RGB is responsible for setting rent adjustment standards for rent-stabilized apartments, lofts, and regulated hotels and single-room occupancy residences. Market-rate apartments are not subject to the above-mentioned increase limits, as rental rates and lease terms are generally negotiated between landlords and tenants. Government-subsidized housing rents are also not determined by these apartment rent guidelines.
Furthermore, tenants who are paying “preferential rent” below the legally set rent, if they continue to reside, landlords must still base the lease renewal on the existing preferential rent, calculating the increase according to RGB regulations, and are not allowed to charge a higher legal rent upon renewal. This provision has been effective since June 14, 2019.
Tenants can verify if their apartment falls under rent-stabilized housing and which year’s renewal increase applies by checking the relevant regulations of the New York City Rent Guidelines Board or by calling 311 for further information.