Rent Stabilization & Your Rights
Learn how New York’s rent stabilization laws protect tenants, what violations landlords commit, and how you may recover money owed.
What Is Rent Stabilization in New York?
Rent stabilization is a New York City and State program designed to protect tenants from excessive rent increases and provide stability in housing. Buildings with six or more units built before 1974 are generally covered, and thousands of apartments throughout the city fall under these protections.
Under rent stabilization, landlords can only increase rent by amounts approved annually by the Rent Guidelines Board. Tenants also have the right to lease renewals and cannot be evicted without proper legal grounds. However, many landlords violate these rules—charging illegal rent, failing to register apartments, or wrongfully removing units from stabilization.
If you live in a rent-stabilized apartment and suspect you’re being overcharged, you may be entitled to significant refunds and rent reductions. Understanding your rights is the first step to protecting yourself.
Rent Stabilization vs. Rent Control
While both programs limit rent increases, they apply to different types of housing and tenants.
Rent Stabilization
Most common protection for NYC tenants
- Applies to buildings with 6+ units built before 1974
- Rent increases limited by Rent Guidelines Board
- Right to lease renewal
- Covers hundreds of thousands of apartments citywide
Rent Control
Older, rarer protection with stricter limits
- Only for units built before February 1, 1947
- Tenant must have lived there continuously since July 1, 1971
- Stricter rent increase limits
- Very few apartments still qualify
Common Landlord Violations
Many landlords break rent stabilization laws, often without tenants knowing. Here are the most common violations:
Failing to Register
Landlords must register rent-stabilized apartments annually with DHCR. Failure to do so means they cannot legally collect rent increases.
Improper Deregulation
Many apartments were wrongfully removed from rent stabilization. Recent laws make it easier to challenge fraudulent deregulation.
Preferential Rent Schemes
Landlords sometimes set artificially high "legal rents" while charging lower "preferential rents," then spike rent at renewal using the inflated base.
Inflated Renovations
Landlords often claim excessive renovation costs to justify illegal rent hikes. These must be properly documented and approved.
Refusing Rent History
Tenants have the legal right to receive a complete rent history. Landlords who refuse or provide incomplete records may be hiding overcharges.
J-51 Tax Benefit Fraud
Buildings receiving J-51 tax benefits must keep units rent-stabilized. Many landlords illegally deregulate apartments while still receiving these benefits.
How We Help
We provide a comprehensive approach to rent overcharge cases, beginning with a detailed analysis of your apartment’s full rent history to uncover illegal increases, missing registrations, and fraudulent charges that most tenants would never detect. Our team also investigates J-51 and other tax benefit programs, identifying when buildings improperly deregulated apartments in violation of stabilization laws. From filing DHCR complaints to representing you in housing court, we handle every stage of the process with the goal of recovering every dollar you’re owed and bringing your rent down to the legal amount. And when landlords willfully overcharge, we pursue treble damages to ensure you receive the maximum compensation allowed under New York law.
Think you might be overpaying rent?
Contact us today for a free case review and take the first step toward reclaiming what’s yours.