Rent-Stabilized Apartments in NYC
49,663 buildings across the five boroughs have 1,002,202 registered rent-stabilized apartments. Browse them by borough and neighborhood, or search an address to see whether a building is stabilized, along with its violations, complaints and landlord.
By borough & neighborhood
What rent stabilization means
About a million New York City apartments are rent-stabilized. In those apartments the Rent Guidelines Board caps how much the rent can go up at each one- or two-year lease renewal, you have the right to renew, and the landlord must register the rent with the state every year. Stabilization mostly covers buildings with six or more apartments built before 1974, plus newer buildings that took a 421-a or J-51 tax break.
Rent stabilized vs. rent controlled
People often say “rent controlled” when they mean stabilized. Rent control is a separate, far older program: it only applies where the same household has lived since before July 1971, in a building built before 1947, and it ends when that tenancy does. Fewer than 20,000 apartments are still rent-controlled, and you can't rent one as a new tenant. If you're apartment hunting for a regulated rent, you're looking for a stabilized apartment.
How to verify an apartment
- Ask for the Rent Stabilization Lease Rider. The landlord has to attach it to a stabilized lease.
- Request the apartment's rent history from NYS Homes and Community Renewal (DHCR). It's free through Rent Connect and lists every rent the landlord has registered.
- Look up the building above. Registered stabilized units in city tax records are a strong sign, but not every apartment in a stabilized building is necessarily covered.
Frequently asked questions
What is a rent-stabilized apartment?
A rent-stabilized apartment is one whose rent increases are capped by New York's Rent Guidelines Board, which votes each year on the maximum raise for one- and two-year lease renewals. Tenants also have the right to renew their lease, and the landlord must register the apartment and its rent with the state every year. In New York City it mostly covers apartments in buildings with six or more units built before 1974, plus newer buildings that took tax breaks such as 421-a or J-51.
What is the difference between rent controlled and rent stabilized?
Rent control is the older and much rarer program. It covers apartments in buildings built before February 1947 where the same tenant, or a family member who succeeded them, has lived continuously since before July 1971; fewer than 20,000 NYC apartments are still rent-controlled, and a unit leaves the program when that tenancy ends. Rent stabilization covers roughly a million apartments, and new tenants can move into one. If you are looking for a regulated apartment to rent today, you are looking for a rent-stabilized one.
How do I know if my apartment is rent stabilized?
Check three things. First, a stabilized lease must come with a Rent Stabilization Lease Rider. Second, request your apartment's rent registration history from NYS Homes and Community Renewal (DHCR), which is free through its Rent Connect portal or by phone; it lists every rent the landlord has registered. Third, look up the building here: a building with registered stabilized units in city tax records is a strong sign, though not every apartment in it is necessarily stabilized.
How do I find rent-stabilized apartments for rent in NYC?
Listings rarely say an apartment is stabilized, so start from the buildings. Browse this list by borough and neighborhood, note buildings with many stabilized units, then search for vacancies at those addresses on listing sites or ask the management company. Before signing, ask for the lease rider and the apartment's registered rent.
Can a landlord take an apartment out of rent stabilization?
Much less than before. The Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 ended high-rent vacancy deregulation, so apartments generally stay stabilized when tenants move out. Units in buildings that received a 421-a or J-51 tax break can leave the program when the benefit ends, which is why each building report here shows those benefits and their end dates.
Where does this list of rent-stabilized buildings come from?
From two public sources: the rent-stabilized unit counts the NYC Department of Finance prints on property tax bills (2018 onward), and the list of buildings registered with DHCR. A building appears if either source lists it. Unit counts are the latest the tax bills report and can lag by a year or more.
Building list from NYC Department of Finance tax-bill counts of rent-stabilized units (2018 onward) and the NYS DHCR registered building list. A screening signal, not legal advice: nothing here proves the status of a specific apartment.