| The New York City Rent Guidelines Board has voted for a zero percent increase on one-year lease renewals for rent-stabilized apartments. This vote is the first time in its half-century history that the board has approved a rent freeze for one-year lease renewals. The board also approved an increase of two percent on two-year leases.For the 1.2 million New Yorkers who live in a rent-stabilized unit, the vote means:* If you sign a one-year renewal on a lease that takes effect between 10/1/2015 and 9/30/2016, your rent should not increase.* If you sign a two-year renewal on a lease that takes effect between 10/1/2015 and 9/30/2016, your rent should increase 2 percent.* If you are facing any sort of harassment from your landlord, call 311 immediately and report it.The Rent Guidelines Board based its decision on months of research into the costs and pressures facing owners and tenants, and on the voices of residents who engaged in the Rent Guidelines Board’s public hearing process.
Access to affordable housing through rent regulation is critical for middle- and low-income families. Many New Yorkers are severely rent burdened, and an increasing percentage of their hard-earned incomes are spent on housing. In some cases, more than half of a household’s income is spent on rent. It’s vitally important that our city remain affordable for all who want to live here.
For more information, contact MDC’s Bilingual Housing Counselor Nina Akopyan at 718-376-0999, or Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz‘s office at 718-743-4078. |
