NYC Real Estate Renting Tips and Advice for Renters

Are You Living in a Rent-Stabilized Apartment?

By Jordi Lippe-McGraw January 14, 2022

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.

Table of Contents

Upper West Side

309 West 109th Street

$2,350 No Fee

Studio |

2

Inwood

70 Post Avenue

$2,395 No Fee

2 |

1

Hudson Heights

728 West 181st Street

$2,350 No Fee

1 |

1

Lower East Side

148 Orchard Street

$2,450 No Fee

Studio |

1

Central Harlem

217 West 145th Street

$1,200 No Fee

1 |

1

Central Harlem

215 West 145th Street

$2,250 No Fee

2 |

1

Washington Heights

467 West 164th Street

$1,969 No Fee

2 |

1

Central Harlem

103 West 137th Street

$2,175 No Fee

Studio |

1

West Harlem

100 Convent Avenue

$2,166 No Fee

1 |

1

Central Harlem

44 East 132nd Street

$2,400 No Fee

1 |

1

Central Harlem

44 East 132nd Street

$2,000 No Fee

Studio |

1

East Harlem

414 East 120th Street

$2,500 No Fee

1 |

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.

Prospect Park South

170 East 19th Street

$1,650 No Fee

Studio |

1

East Flatbush

441 East 51st Street

$1,900 No Fee

2 |

1

East Flatbush

441 East 51st Street

$1,700 No Fee

1 |

1

Kensington

430 Ocean Parkway

$2,349 No Fee

1 |

1

Flatbush

850 Flatbush Avenue

$2,170 No Fee

2 |

1

Kensington

418 East 7th Street

$2,395 No Fee

1 |

1

Flatbush

2717 Snyder Avenue

$2,475 No Fee

2 |

1

Flatbush

2533 Church Avenue

$1,899 No Fee

Studio |

1

Wingate

435 Maple Street

$2,350 No Fee

1 |

1

Midwood

1870 Ocean Avenue

$1,695 No Fee

Studio |

1

Bay Ridge

321 76th Street

$1,775 No Fee

1 |

1

Fort Hamilton

210 Marine Avenue

$1,999 No Fee

1 |

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.

Kew Gardens

83-19 116th Street

$2,381 No Fee

2 |

1

Kew Gardens

83-14 Lefferts Boulevard

$2,200 No Fee

1 |

1

Kew Gardens

83-11 118th Street

$2,200 No Fee

1 |

1

Forest Hills

103-19 68 Road

$1,800 No Fee

Studio |

1

North Corona

104-64 39th Avenue

$1,950 No Fee

1 |

1

Ditmars-Steinway

22-12 36th Street

$2,450 No Fee

1 |

1

Astoria

26-25 3rd Street

$2,299 No Fee

Studio |

1

Forest Hills

113-16 76 Road

$2,175 No Fee

1 |

1

Astoria

25-50 30 Road

$2,350 No Fee

1 |

1

Kew Gardens

83-15 116th Street

$2,308 No Fee

2 |

1

Kew Gardens

83-15 116th Street

$1,895 No Fee

1 |

1

East Flushing

40-41 190th Street

$2,087 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.

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