NYC Rent Freeze Remains on Table for Stabilized Tenants

By Howard Weiss | May 22, 2026 | NYC In Focus · Accredited Press

The city’s rent board has proposed a range that starts at zero — meaning a rent freeze is still possible for rent-stabilized tenants before the final vote.

Official Rent Guidelines Board records reviewed by NYC In Focus show that New York City is now taking public testimony on proposed rent adjustments for rent-stabilized apartments, lofts and hotels covering leases that begin between October 1, 2026 and September 30, 2027.

The proposed range for rent-stabilized apartments is 0% to 2% for one-year leases and 0% to 4% for two-year leases. That means a rent freeze is officially still on the table — but so are increases.

Translation: nothing is final yet. The public hearings are where tenants, landlords, advocates and anyone else with something to say get their shot before the board votes in late June.

What’s Happening

The Rent Guidelines Board adopted proposed lease guidelines on May 7, 2026. Those proposed guidelines are now in the public-comment phase before the board makes a final decision.

For rent-stabilized apartments, the proposed increases are:

Proposed 2026–27 apartment rent guidelines:
One-year lease: 0% to 2%
Two-year lease: 0% to 4%
Lease period affected: Leases beginning on or after October 1, 2026 and on or before September 30, 2027

The same proposed range applies to rent-stabilized lofts: 0% to 2% for one-year increase periods and 0% to 4% for two-year increase periods.

For rent-stabilized hotels, the proposed adjustment listed by the board is 0% for Residential Class A hotels, lodging houses, rooming houses, Class B hotels and SRO buildings.

What Exactly Is Changing?

The board is not changing every tenant’s rent automatically today. It is setting the allowable adjustment range for rent-stabilized leases that start during the next guideline year.

If the final vote lands at the bottom of the proposed range, rent-stabilized apartment tenants could see a freeze for one-year and two-year leases. If the board chooses the top of the range, landlords could be allowed increases up to 2% on one-year leases and up to 4% on two-year leases.

That gap matters. On a $2,000 rent-stabilized apartment, a 2% increase is $40 more per month. A 4% increase is $80 more per month. Across a year, that is the difference between a freeze and hundreds of dollars more out of a tenant’s pocket.

Key clarification:
The proposed range is not the final rent order. The Rent Guidelines Board still has to hold public hearings, take testimony and vote on the final adjustments.

Public Hearing Schedule

The board has scheduled public hearings in Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan before the final vote.

Public testimony hearings:

Queens
Thursday, June 4, 2026
5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Jamaica Performing Arts Center, Auditorium
153-10 Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, NY 11432

Bronx
Monday, June 8, 2026
5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Hostos Community College/CUNY, Main Theatre
450 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10451

Brooklyn
Thursday, June 11, 2026
7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
The Theater at City Tech, NYC College of Technology
285 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Manhattan
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Symphony Space
2537 Broadway at 95th Street, New York, NY 10025

Final vote
Thursday, June 25, 2026
7:00 PM
El Museo del Barrio
1230 Fifth Avenue at 104th Street, New York, NY 10029

How Tenants and Owners Can Testify

Anyone who wants to speak at a public hearing must register to testify. The Rent Guidelines Board says the public hearings will be held on the proposed guidelines, with registration instructions provided through the board’s hearing materials.

Written comments must be received by Tuesday, June 16, 2026 to be considered before the final vote. The board accepts written testimony through its website, by email, by mail and through NYC Rules.

That deadline is important. If tenants or owners want their comments in the record before the final vote, June 16 is the date to circle.

What the Official Record Says

The Rent Guidelines Board says it is mandated to establish rent adjustments for approximately one million dwelling units subject to the Rent Stabilization Law in New York City.

The board’s annual process includes public meetings, public hearings, research reports and testimony from tenants, owners, advocacy groups, elected officials and industry experts.

This year’s proposed apartment range starts at zero. That is the number tenants will notice first. But the range still gives the board room to approve increases before the final order is adopted.

A rent freeze is not guaranteed. But for rent-stabilized tenants, it is still alive.

What the Official Record Does Not Say

The current proposed guidelines do not say what the final rent increase will be. They only set the range the board is considering.

The record also does not decide individual rent disputes, apartment-specific overcharge claims, repairs, lease problems or whether a particular apartment is legally stabilized. Those questions are separate from the annual rent-guideline vote.

For tenants, the practical question is simple: if your lease starts between October 1, 2026 and September 30, 2027, this vote could decide how much your legal regulated rent is allowed to rise.

Official Source Links

NYC In Focus reviewed the following official Rent Guidelines Board materials for this story:

Also Buried in Today’s Public Records

The rent-guideline hearings were not the only public-facing city item worth watching today.

Hudson River Park air-rights transfers are moving through Council review.
City Planning materials show two DeWitt Clinton Park North proposals on Manhattan’s far West Side involving zoning changes, Mandatory Inclusionary Housing areas and transfers of floor area from Hudson River Park granting sites to private receiving sites near West 54th and West 56th Streets.

Home energy loan rules are also up for comment.
The Department of Finance is proposing changes to rules for the Sustainable Energy Loan Program, which is meant to encourage energy efficiency and renewable energy work through financing connected to eligible properties.

Different agencies, different rules, same civic lesson: the paperwork is public, but it rarely comes looking for you.

What This Actually Means

For rent-stabilized tenants, the big number right now is zero. The proposed range starts there, which means a freeze remains possible.

For landlords, the top of the range still allows increases of up to 2% for one-year leases and up to 4% for two-year leases.

The board has not made the final call. The hearings are the public’s last major chance to speak before the vote.

In a city where rent decides who gets to stay, two minutes at the mic is not nothing.

Source note: This story is based on official Rent Guidelines Board records, public hearing materials and agency documents reviewed by NYC In Focus. Official source links are included above.