Office of Rent Administration (ORA)

RENT NEWS

Important Notices and Recently Revised Documents The following documents have been revised to reflect updated information pertaining to electronic portals and addresses to be used for the submission and delivery of records:   Operational Bulletin #2023-1: Procedures for Requests for Records Access, Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) Requests and Subpoenas (4/23) Form #REC-1: Request for Records Access (4/23)   The following documents have been revised to reflect Section 610 of the Private Housing Finance Law (PHFL): Owners who receive PHFL 610 regulatory approval will be required to use the updated leases, rider, and related lease notice when executing a lease that includes a higher actual rent pursuant to PHFL 610.  Owners who are not approved for PHFL 610 status are being given a transition period of 120 days from the issuance of the new documents to put them into use.   Fact Sheet #4: Lease Renewal in Rent Stabilized Apartments (4/23) Fact Sheet #5: Vacancy Leases in Rent Stabilized Apartments (4/23) Fact Sheet #26: Guide to Rent Increases for Rent Stabilized Apartments (4/23) Form #RTP-8: Renewal Lease Form (3/23) Form #RTP-8 ETPA: ETPA Renewal Lease Form (3/23) Form #RA-LR1: New York City Lease Rider for Rent Stabilized Tenants (3/23) Form #RA-LR1 ETPA: Emergency Tenant Protection Act (ETPA) Standard Lease Addenda for Rent Stabilized Tenants (3/23) Form #RA-LR3: Rent Stabilized Lease Notice to Tenants – Rights Concerning Legal Rents and Higher Actual Rents (3/23) Form #RR-1(i): Initial Apartment Registration Form (3/23) Form #RR-2(i): Initial Registration Summary Form (3/23) Initial Rent Registration Instructions (3/23) Initial and Annual Registration Instructions Addendum – Regulatory Agreement Buildings (3/23) ARRO Data Upload Instructions 2020 and Later (3/23) Policy Statement #2023-1: Filing Requirements Upon Vacancy of Rent Controlled Apartment NEW! (6/23) 2024-25 Maximum Base Rent (MBR) Application (4/23) Fact Sheet #18: Appealing a Rent Administrator’s Order: Petition for Administrative Review (4/23)   DHCR's Partners - Access Housing Referrals  Office of Rent Administration Transparency Initiative   On July 28, 2022, the City of Kingston voted to adopt the New York State Emergency Tenant Protection Act (ETPA). Visit City of Kingston Votes to Adopt the Emergency Tenant Protection Act for more information and updates. REVISED! (4/4/23)   Strengthening New York State Rent Regulations - The Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 View Presentation Rent Laws 2019 Updated Documents

The Office of Rent Administration provides assistance and services for tenants of rent regulated homes.

For more information on these services, please visit the page below:
 

Tenant's Homepage

Conduct a Rent Regulated Building or Case Status Search

The Office of Rent Administration provides assistance and services for owners and mangers of rent regulated homes.

For more information on these services, please visit the page below:
 

Owner's and Manager's Homepage
 

Conduct a Rent Regulated Building or Case Status Search

A number of communities in New York State have rent regulation programs known as rent control and rent stabilization. These Rent Regulation Programs administered by the Office of Rent Administration (ORA), position ORA as a leader in the preservation of affordable housing. Rent regulation is intended to protect tenants in privately-owned buildings from illegal rent increases and allow owners to maintain their buildings and realize a reasonable profit.

Rent control is the older of the two systems of rent regulation. It dates back to the housing shortage immediately following World War II and generally applies to buildings constructed before 1947. Rent stabilization generally covers buildings built after 1947 and before 1974, and apartments removed from rent control. Outside New York City rent stabilization is also known as ETPA, for the Emergency Tenant Protection Act. More details on these matters can be obtained by calling, writing, or visiting one of the DHCR Borough or District Rent Offices.

Rent Control

The rent control program applies to residential buildings constructed before February, 1947 in municipalities that have not declared an end to the postwar rental housing emergency. There are several municipalities that still have rent control, including New York City, Nassau and Westchester counties.

At a Glance

Rent control limits the rent an owner may charge for an apartment and restricts the right of any owner to evict tenants.

Rents charged in controlled apartments are set and adjusted on the basis of registrations filed by owners when Federal rent control was imposed in 1943. The rent control law allows DHCR to determine how much rents can be increased based on an assessment of what it costs owners to operate their buildings plus a reasonable profit.

In New York City, rent control operates under the Maximum Base Rent (MBR) system. A maximum base rent is established for each apartment and adjusted every two years to reflect changes in operating costs. Owners who certify that they are providing essential services and have removed violations, are entitled to raise rents annually. Tenants may challenge the proposed increase on the grounds that the building has violations or that the owner's expenses do not warrant an increase. Outside of New York City,  owners can file for ORA approved rent increases once every two years.

Rent Stabilization

In New York City, apartments are under rent stabilization if they are in buildings of six or more units built between February 1, 1947, and December 31, 1973. Tenants in buildings built before February 1, 1947, who moved in after June 30, 1971, are also covered by rent stabilization. A third category of rent stabilized apartments covers buildings with three or more apartments constructed or extensively renovated on or after January 1, 1974 with special tax benefits. Generally, those buildings are only subject to stabilization while the tax benefits continue or, in some cases, until the tenant vacates.

At a Glance

Like rent control, rent stabilization also provides other protections to tenants besides limitations on the amount of rent. Tenants are entitled to receive required services, to have their leases renewed, and may not be evicted except on grounds allowed by law. Leases may be renewed for a term of one or two years, at the tenant's choice based on guidelines established annually by the NYC Rent Guidelines Board.

Emergency Tenant Protection Act

Outside New York City, rent stabilization applies to non-rent controlled apartments in buildings of six or more units built before January 1, 1974, in the localities that have adopted ETPA, which include the City of Kingston, and Westchester, Nassau, and Rockland counties.  For information on previous vacancy and lease renewal guideline increases for Westchester, Nassau, and Rockland counties, please see the 1984-2022 ETPA Historical Guidelines.

Rent Registration

Owners are required to file initial registrations and subsequent annual registrations with ORA and are required to send a copy of the registration to  the tenant. 

Municipalities in Nassau, Rockland and Westchester Counties which have adopted the Emergency Tenant Protection Act of 1974:

For Rent Guideline Board notices and public hearing information, please visit the page below.

Public Hearings Information     

For Maximum Base Rent notices and public hearing information, please visit the page below.

MBR HEARINGS information

Regulatory Information - Notice of Public Hearing Information