Office of Rent Administration (ORA)

RENT NEWS

Important Notices and Recently Revised Documents New Regulations Published in the NYS Register on November 8, 2023 DHCR has filed the Notices of Adoption required under the New York State Administrative Procedure Act (SAPA) to amend various regulations in the Rent Stabilization Code, the Tenant Protection Regulations and the State and New York City Rent Control Regulations. These documents or their summaries, where applicable, have been published in the New York State Register on November 8, 2023. DHCR’s Office of Rent Administration (ORA) is now reviewing all of its forms and documents and will be making needed edits to reflect changes required by the new regulations. Certain regulatory changes may relate to matters that were previously addressed in Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act (HSTPA) and previously edited at the time HSTPA was enacted. The following documents have been revised and have been posted to the website. Fact Sheet 1: Rent Stabilization and Rent Control NEW! (11/23) Fact Sheet 5: Vacancy Leases in Rent Stabilized Apartments NEW! (11/23) Fact Sheet 11: Demolition NEW! (11/23) Fact Sheet 14: Rent Reductions For Decreased Services NEW! (11/23) Fact Sheet 17: Harassment NEW! (11/23) Fact Sheet 18: Appealing a Rent Administrator’s Order: Petition for Administrative Review (PAR) NEW! (11/23) Fact Sheet 26: Guide to Rent Increases for Rent Stabilized Apartments NEW! (11/23) Fact Sheet 30: Succession NEW! (11/23) Fact Sheet 35: Collectibility of Major Capital Improvement (MCI) and/or Individual Apartment Improvement (IAI) Rent Increases (Where the Rent is Reduced Because of Diminution of Services) NEW! (11/23) Fact Sheet 38: Substantial Rehabilitation NEW! (11/23) Fact Sheet 42: Hotels, SROs, and Rooming Houses NEW! (11/23) Operational Bulletin 2023-3: Substantial Rehabilitation NEW! (11/23) Operational Bulletin 2023-4: Collectibility of MCI/IAI Increases Where the Rent is Reduced Because of Diminution of Services NEW! (11/23) FAQ #2 on rent receipts for rent stabilized tenants NEW! (11/23) Form RA-89/89.1: Tenant's Complaint of Rent and/or Other Specific Overcharges in a Rent Stabilized Apartment and Rent Overcharge Application - Information NEW! (12/23) Form MRTE-N: Notice of 421-a (16) Apartment Market Rate Threshold Exemption – 2024 NEW! (12/23) Fact Sheet 6: Fair Market Rent Appeals NEW! (12/23)   Housing Resources and Referrals  Office of Rent Administration Transparency Initiative

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.

On June 14, 2019, the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act was enacted, which provided major reforms to the rent laws. For more information, visit:

• View HSTPA Presentation
• Rent Laws 2019 Updated Documents

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 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, Westchester, and Ulster 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