Rent Guidelines Board to consider 0-2 percent increase

Could this be the year that de Blasio gets his rent freeze?

Rachel Godsil Bill de Blasio
Rachel Godsil and Bill de Blasio

The Rent Guidelines Board voted to consider a 0 to 2 percent increase in rent for stabilized apartments with one-year leases, while stabilized apartments with two-year leases will face an increase of .5 percent to 3.5 percent.

The vote Wednesday night happened in a rowdy Midtown auditorium, with tenants’ rights advocates chanting in protest of anything short of a rent reduction.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has campaigned publicly for a rent freeze on rent-stabilized apartments in the past, but this year he has not spoken publicly about his wishes, according to the New York Times. Last year, following de Blasio’s crusade for a rent freeze, the Rent Guidelines Board voted for historically low increases of just 1 percent for one-year leases and 2.75 percent for two-year leases.

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This year, due largely to falling oil prices, landlords’ operating costs were estimated to have increased just .5 percent, which could set the stage for a rent freeze. This is also the first year to have a board appointed entirely by de Blasio, led by chair Rachel Godsil.

The final vote to determine this year’s allowable increases will be on June 24. [NYT] — Tess Hofmann