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Rent stabilization & rent control guides

Plain-English answers to the most common questions about rent-regulated apartments in New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington, DC — what the rules are, how to check your own unit, and what your rights are as a tenant. Each city's rules are different, so start with your city.

New York City

Is my apartment rent stabilized?
Four free ways to find out if your NYC apartment is rent stabilized — request your DHCR rent history, check the building, read your lease, and look it up on the map.
What is rent stabilization in NYC?
Rent stabilization limits how much your rent can rise and gives you the right to renew your lease. Learn what it is, which NYC buildings are covered, and how it protects tenants.
Rent stabilized vs. rent controlled
Rent control and rent stabilization are not the same thing. Learn how they differ in NYC, which is far more common, and how to tell which one (if any) applies to your apartment.
How to find a rent-stabilized apartment
A practical guide to finding rent-stabilized apartments in New York City: where to look, how to verify a building's status before you sign, and what to watch out for.
Rent-stabilized tenant rights
If you live in a rent-stabilized apartment you have strong rights: lease renewal, capped increases, succession, and required services. Here's what those rights are and how to protect them.
Rent-stabilized lease renewals & rent increases
How rent-stabilized lease renewals work in NYC: the 1-year vs 2-year choice, how the Rent Guidelines Board sets increases, renewal timing, and what a landlord can and can't do.
Deed theft: how it happens and how to report it
Deed theft is when someone forges or tricks you into signing a deed and takes your home on paper. How it happens in New York City, the warning signs, who to call — the Sheriff, your DA, the Attorney General — and the free alert that catches it early.

San Francisco

Is my apartment rent controlled in San Francisco?
How to tell whether your San Francisco apartment is rent controlled: the June 13, 1979 certificate-of-occupancy rule, the Costa-Hawkins exemptions, just-cause eviction protection, and where to confirm it.

Los Angeles

Is my apartment rent controlled in Los Angeles?
How to check whether your Los Angeles apartment is covered by the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO): the October 1, 1978 rule, what LAHD's rent registry shows, and what still protects you if the RSO does not.

Washington, DC

Is my apartment rent controlled in Washington, DC?
How to tell whether your DC apartment is rent stabilized: the pre-1976 rule, the common exemptions, and the registration rule that means an unregistered unit is treated as covered.

Check a building

Rent regulation is building-specific — look up any address on the map.

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