New York Rent Control (Different from Stabilization)

Summary

Rent Control in New York is older, stricter, and much rarer than Rent Stabilization. It applies only to specific older buildings where the tenant or their family has lived continuously since before 1971.

Rights & Rules

01.
To be in a rent-controlled apartment, the building must have been built before 1947, and the tenant (or their lawful successor) must have been living there continuously since before July 1, 1971.
02.
Rent cannot be increased arbitrarily; the state sets a 'Maximum Base Rent' (MBR) which is updated every two years to reflect operating costs.
03.
The landlord can only raise the rent up to 7.5% per year, and ONLY if they are properly maintaining the building and have removed all housing code violations.
04.
When a rent-controlled tenant moves out or dies, the apartment usually becomes 'Rent Stabilized' or is deregulated entirely.

Penalties

01.
If a landlord illegally raises the rent or forces a rent-controlled tenant out through harassment (often to deregulate the unit), they face severe fines from the state and must refund the tenant treble (triple) damages.

Verified Citations

New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) Fact Sheet #1

Source

"Rent control limits the rent an owner may charge for an apartment and restricts the right of any owner to evict tenants... It applies to residential buildings constructed before February 1947 in municipalities that have not declared an end to the postwar rental housing emergency."