It’s no secret that rent in New York City is expensive compared to other parts of the country. That’s why it’s always jaw-dropping to hear a story of someone paying much less than market-rate rent here. Remember how Carrie Bradshaw only paid $700 for her iconic Upper East Side pad in “Sex And The City”? That amount was still considered cheap in the late 1990s! The reason? Her place was probably a rent-stabilized apartment. Unfortunately, those highly coveted, affordable units seem like a distant dream. But they do exist. Is your NYC apartment rent-stabilized? Here’s how to find out.

Manhattan Rentals Under $2,500 On StreetEasy Article continues below

Hell’s Kitchen

348 West 45th Street

$2,495 No Fee

Studio |

1

Hamilton Heights

557 West 148th Street

$2,350 No Fee

2 |

1

Upper West Side

150 West 74th Street

$2,117 No Fee

1 |

1

Lenox Hill

512 East 79th Street

$2,375 No Fee

Studio |

1

Washington Heights

88 Wadsworth Avenue

$2,000 No Fee

1 |

1

Hudson Heights

295 Bennett Avenue

$1,975 No Fee

1 |

1

Hudson Heights

295 Bennett Avenue

$2,000 No Fee

1 |

1

South Harlem

146 West 111st Street

$2,383 No Fee

1 |

1

Lenox Hill

341 East 65th Street

$2,395 No Fee

1 |

1

Murray Hill

324 East 35th Street

$2,425 No Fee

Studio |

1

Fort George

2 Ellwood Street

$1,800 No Fee

Studio |

1

Manhattanville

3333B Broadway

$2,250 No Fee

Studio |

1

How Many Rent-Stabilized Units Are in NYC?

A New York City Housing and Vacancy Survey dating back to 2017, revealed there are close to 1 million rent-stabilized units in NYC. At the time of this writing, StreetEasy offered 220 listings with the term “rent-stabilized” in the apartment description. Here are tips for how to find a rent-stabilized apartment.

Benefits of a Rent-Stabilized Apartment

There are many reasons to find out if your NYC apartment is rent-stabilized in addition to affordability:

• Landlords can only increase the rent by a percentage determined by the Rent Guidelines Board.
• Rent is not dependent on your income level, apartment size, or the number of residents.
• Landlords must renew leases every year, increasing housing security for rent-stabilized tenants. 
• Tenants in rent-stabilized apartments can pass on the unit to family members in some cases.

Brooklyn Rentals Under $2,500 On StreetEasy Article continues below

Bedford-Stuyvesant

57 Herkimer Street

$2,350 No Fee

1 |

1

Bedford-Stuyvesant

460 Throop Avenue

$2,267 No Fee

1 |

1

Crown Heights

24 Rogers Avenue

$2,400 No Fee

Studio |

1

Crown Heights

119 Albany Avenue

$2,300 No Fee

Studio |

1

Flatbush

88 Linden Boulevard

$2,396 No Fee

Studio |

1

Park Slope

351 Prospect Avenue

$2,212 No Fee

1 |

1

Fort Hamilton

9303 Shore Road

$2,300 No Fee

1 |

1

Stuyvesant Heights

550 Kosciusko Street

$2,095 No Fee

1 |

1

Ditmas Park

738 East 22nd Street

$1,695 No Fee

Studio |

1

Stuyvesant Heights

509 Vanburen Street

$2,361 No Fee

1 |

1

Bay Ridge

305 84th Street

$1,790 No Fee

1 |

1

Brownsville

93 East 96th Street

$2,235 No Fee

2 |

1

How To Find Out if Your Apartment Is Rent-Stabilized

Generally speaking, an NYC apartment is rent-stabilized if it is in a building that contains six or more units, was built before 1974, and isn’t a co-op or condo. However, it’s important to remember that prior to the 2019 legislation, units would fall out of rent stabilization once they hit a certain rent threshold. So, to find out if your unit is rent-stabilized, contact NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) via phone or web portal and request a rent history.

Reviewing your rent history is a great way to find out if your apartment is rent-stabilized, but it also offers other benefits. For example, a rent history will help you find out if your landlord is charging you more than your apartment’s legal rent if it is stabilized, or if they were granted a rent increase for a Major Capital Improvement (MCI) or Individual Apartment Improvement (IAI), that they did not actually conduct to destabilize a unit. Another tool you can use is the Rent Guidelines Board’s list of rent-stabilized buildings in New York City. Buildings are organized by borough and zip code, and the documents can be downloaded and searched by keyword, address, etc.

Queens Rentals Under $2,500 On StreetEasy Article continues below

Briarwood

139-05 85 Drive

$1,650 No Fee

Studio |

1

Astoria

25-81 34th Street

$1,980 No Fee

1 |

1

Astoria

38-14 Astoria Boulevard S

$1,900 No Fee

1 |

1

Jamaica

152-09 88th Avenue

$2,400 No Fee

1 |

1

Jamaica

152-09 88th Avenue

$1,938 No Fee

Studio |

1

Astoria

34-26 41st Street

$2,300 No Fee

1 |

1

Woodhaven

88-28 75th Street

$2,200 No Fee

2 |

1

Forest Hills

105-05 69th Avenue

$1,875 No Fee

Studio |

1

Astoria

31-07 34th Avenue

$2,000 No Fee

Studio |

1

Astoria

26-15 25 Road

$2,250 No Fee

1 |

1

Oakland Gardens

67-40 223 Place

$2,500 No Fee

2 |

1

Oakland Gardens

67-40 223 Place

$2,300 No Fee

1 |

1

Are New Rent-Stabilized Apartments Being Built?

The short answer is “yes.”

“Changes to the inventory of rent-stabilized apartments are published every year by the NYC Rent Guidelines Board,” according to Sam Himmelstein, a tenants’ rights lawyer with Himmelstein, McConnell, Gribben, Donoghue & Joseph. About 10,000 rent-stabilized units were created in 2020 due to the 421-a program, which in simple terms is a real estate tax exemption for new construction. This program defers tax payments for developers that include a certain percentage of affordable housing units in a building. (A common split is 80/20, with affordable apartments in the minority. Abatements range in length — 10, 15, 20 years, etc. — and generally, the rent-stabilized status remains, even after those abatements expire.)

In addition, a small number of stabilized units are created due to the J-51 program, which is similar to 421-a but applies to buildings that have been renovated, as opposed to newly constructed. Still more rent-stabilized apartments are created when loft spaces are converted to contain multiple units, or when apartments leave the Mitchell-Lama program, a city- and state-run program for moderate and middle-income families. 

How to Find a Rent-Stabilized Apartment in NYC 

So, how do you find a rent-stabilized apartment in NYC? 

“Renters can apply to win affordable apartments, which are mostly rent-stabilized, through the NYC housing lottery’s website, Housing Connect,” says Adjina Dekidjiev, a broker for Warburg Realty. Note that applicants must meet income requirements (these are capped) and that the application process requires significant documentation and often, time. 

“You can also work with a real estate broker who can research them and might know about off-market apartments,” says Dekidjiev.