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What is rent stabilization in NYC?

Rent stabilization is New York City's largest tenant-protection program. It caps how much your rent can increase each year and gives you the right to renew your lease, covering roughly one million apartments across the five boroughs.

The basics

Rent stabilization is administered by New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), through its Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR). If your apartment is stabilized, three things are true:

Limited increases. The NYC Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) sets the maximum percentage your rent can rise on a 1-year or 2-year renewal, once per year. An owner cannot raise a stabilized rent above that.
Right to renew. Your landlord generally must offer you a lease renewal and cannot evict you simply to charge more. You choose a 1-year or 2-year term.
Succession & services. Certain family members can take over the lease, and the owner must maintain the same services (heat, hot water, repairs).

Which buildings are covered?

The most common way an apartment becomes rent stabilized is the building's age and size: buildings built before January 1, 1974 with six or more units are generally covered. Buildings that received tax incentives like 421-a or J-51 can also be stabilized for the length of the benefit. Rent stabilization exists in all five boroughs, not just Manhattan.

You can browse the registered buildings by borough:

Manhattan rent-stabilized buildings Brooklyn rent-stabilized buildings Queens rent-stabilized buildings Bronx rent-stabilized buildings Staten Island rent-stabilized buildings

How much can the rent go up?

The Rent Guidelines Board votes each June on the increases that apply to renewal leases beginning that October through the following September. Because the number changes every year, always check the current RGB order rather than assuming last year's figure.

Why the 2019 law matters

The Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (HSTPA) substantially strengthened rent stabilization. It ended the practice of deregulating apartments once the rent crossed a high threshold, eliminated the automatic vacancy increase, and tightened the rules on how owners can raise rents after renovations. In practice, far fewer apartments leave stabilization than before.

Check a specific building

Rent stabilization is building-specific, so the practical next step is to look up an address.

🔎 Check any building on the Find A Crib map →

Official sources

Find A Crib is an informational tool, not a law firm. This guide is general information about NYC rent stabilization, not legal advice. For your specific situation, contact DHCR or a tenant attorney/legal-aid group.