TL;DR

  • NYC does not have one rent-increase cap. It has four, and which one applies turns entirely on which regime your apartment falls into. Rent-stabilized (~1 million units), Good Cause-covered market-rate (estimated 600-800k households), rent-controlled (24,018 units per 2023 NYCHVS), HCV / Section 8 (107,979 operational vouchers in FY26). Outside all four: market-rate exempt, lease only.
  • RGB Order #57 is the current operative cap on stabilized leases: 3% (one-year) / 4.5% (two-year) for leases starting October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Voted 5-4 by the pre-Mamdani board on June 30, 2025.
  • RGB Order #58 final vote is June 25, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. at El Museo del Barrio. The May 7 preliminary range was 0-2% / 0-4%, voted 7-1-1, brokered by Chair Chantella Mitchell. Both the dissent and the abstention came from the two owner reps. Mamdani’s six February appointments give the board its first tenant-aligned working majority in years; a freeze is on the table for the first time since 2015-16.
  • Good Cause cap is 8.79% for calendar year 2026 (CPI 3.79% + 5%, per DHCR’s February 19, 2025 notice). Presumptively reasonable, not a hard ceiling. Next DHCR notice due February 2027.
  • Rent control’s operative MCR was 1.95% in 2024-25, not 7.5%. Under HSTPA 2019, the formula is the lesser of the five-year RGB one-year average or 7.5%. The five-year average binds; the 7.5% statutory ceiling has not.
  • Worked example: a $3,000 stabilized 1BR. Order #58 freeze = $3,000. Order #58 upper bound (2% / 4%) = $3,060 / $3,120. Order #57 (3% / 4.5%) = $3,090 / $3,135. Good Cause cap = $3,263.70. Rent-control operative = $3,058.50. Market-rate exempt = whatever the lease says.

If you rent in NYC, the question “how much can my landlord raise my rent” has four answers, not one. Which answer is yours depends on which regime your apartment falls into. The June 25 RGB Order #58 final vote rewrites the answer for the largest cohort. This page is the structural map: the four-regime decision tree, the current Order #57, the live Order #58 cycle with the Mamdani majority, the Good Cause 8.79% cap, the rent-control formula HSTPA quietly rewrote, the HCV Payment Standards, the worked-example math, the annual cycle, and the engagement playbook. For the broader landlord-tenant landscape, the NYC housing guide is the parent.


What “Rent Increase Limit” Actually Means in NYC

NYC does not have one rent cap. It has four, each governed by a different statute, a different regulator, and a different annual recalibration. Before any cap math is useful, you need to know which regime your unit is in.

Rent-stabilized. Roughly 1 million units; about 44% of all NYC rentals; the largest cap-protected cohort. The cap is set annually by the nine-member NYC Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) in a sequentially numbered Order. The Order is a legal hard ceiling. Currently operative: Order #57 (3% / 4.5%) for leases October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Next: Order #58, final June 25, 2026.

Good Cause-covered market-rate. Estimated 600-800k households per Met Council’s 2024 analysis; not officially counted. The cap is CPI + 5%, set annually by a DHCR notice each February. For 2026: 8.79% (CPI 3.79% + 5%). Presumptively reasonable, not a hard ceiling. A landlord can charge above with operating-cost justification challengeable in NYC Housing Court.

Rent-controlled. 24,018 units citywide per the 2023 NYC Housing and Vacancy Survey. A pre-1974 continuous-tenancy cohort that shrinks slowly. DHCR administers the MBR / MCR formula under Fact Sheet #22. Under HSTPA 2019, the annual MCR adjustment is the lesser of (a) the five-year RGB one-year average or (b) 7.5%. The five-year average has been binding. The 2024-25 operative MCR was 1.95%.

HCV / Section 8 voucher. 107,979 operational in FY26. Tenant pays roughly 30% of adjusted household income; NYCHA covers the gap up to the Payment Standard, recalibrated annually effective July 1.

Market-rate exempt. Post-2009 buildings, units above 245% of the local FMR, or landlords owning 10 or fewer units statewide. No statutory cap. The lease governs. RPL §226-c notice rules (30, 60, or 90 days) are the only structural protection.

For the full seven-regime architecture (which also includes Mitchell-Lama and LIHTC), see the NYC housing guide. The structural reading: which regime your apartment falls into is by far the largest variable in your annual rent calculus. The same $3,000 1BR can land anywhere from $3,000 under a stabilized freeze to open-ended under market-rate exempt. Section six runs the math.

This is the kind of NYC housing explainer we publish in 5-minute form every weekday morning.

NYC Daily TL;DR is the smart daily briefing on NYC politics, housing, and business. Free. Under 10 minutes.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.


RGB Order #57: The Current Cap on Rent-Stabilized Leases

If your rent-stabilized lease renewal lands between October 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026, Order #57 governs. One-year renewal: 3%. Two-year renewal: 4.5%. Rent-stabilized hotel units: 0% (frozen).

Voted June 30, 2025 by a 5-4 split of the prior pre-Mamdani RGB. The numbers landed inside the historical Bloomberg-Adams band of 1.5% to 4% one-year increases. The Order is the legal maximum; a landlord can offer less but cannot exceed. If your renewal landed before October 1, 2025, Order #56 applies (2.75% / 5.25%); on or after October 1, 2026, Order #58 governs.

What Order #57 does not cover. MCI (Major Capital Improvement) increases sit on top under HSTPA caps. IAI (Individual Apartment Improvement) on vacancy similarly sits on top; Tier 1 is capped at $30,000 amortized over 15 years, Tier 2 at $50,000 for units continuously occupied 25+ years or registered vacant in 2022-2024. For sitting tenants who paid preferential rent on or after the June 14, 2019 HSTPA effective date, the Order #57 percentage applies to the preferential rent, not the higher legal regulated rent. For the full HSTPA, MCI / IAI, preferential rent, and DHCR overcharge mechanic, see how rent stabilization works in NYC.

The 5-4 Order #57 vote was the high-water mark for landlord-side coalition arithmetic at the prior board. Order #58 is the first vote under Mamdani’s appointed majority and is structurally positioned to break the historical band downward.


RGB Order #58: The June 25 Vote, the Freeze on the Table

The single highest-velocity event in NYC housing policy right now.

The May 7 preliminary vote

The RGB voted a preliminary range of 0-2% (one-year) and 0-4% (two-year) on May 7, 2026. Vote tally: 7-1-1. Both the dissent and the abstention came from the two owner representatives (specific assignment of which owner rep voted no versus abstained could not be primary-source verified at member level).

Chair Chantella Mitchell brokered the range after two competing proposals failed. A tenant-aligned -3% to 0% / -4.5% to 0% proposal did not attract sufficient votes; a landlord-aligned 3-5.5% / 6-8% proposal did not either. The 0-2 / 0-4 range puts a rent freeze (0% / 0%) officially on the table for the final vote for the first time since the 2015-16 Order under de Blasio (0% one-year, 2% two-year).

The Mamdani majority

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced six RGB appointments on February 18, 2026. Combined with one reappointment, Mamdani holds six of nine board seats. The full roster:

MemberCategoryTerm endingMamdani appointeeBackground
Chantella MitchellChairAt pleasure of MayorYes (Feb 2026)Program Director, New York Community Trust; former city housing official
Sina SinaiPublic12/31/2026Yes (Feb 2026)Senior Research Associate, Jain Family Institute
Lauren MelodiaPublic12/31/2026Yes (Feb 2026)Director of economic and fiscal policy, Center for New York City Affairs (The New School)
Brandon MancillaPublic12/31/2028Yes (Feb 2026)UAW Region 9A Director; UAW International Executive Board
Arpit GuptaPublic12/31/2026No (holdover)NYU Stern finance professor
Maksim WynnOwner12/31/2028Yes (Feb 2026)Director of Development, Procida Development Group; ex-DHS, HPD
Christina SmythOwner12/31/2026No (holdover)Attorney, Smyth Law Firm
Adán SoltrenTenant12/31/2028Yes (Feb 2026 reappointment)Legal Aid Society attorney
Sagar SharmaTenant12/31/2026No (holdover)Pre-Mamdani holdover

The 7-1-1 May 7 split implies both pre-Mamdani public/tenant holdovers (Gupta and Sharma) crossed over to support the freeze-eligible range, given the dissent and abstention came from the two owner reps.

Mamdani has publicly stressed that the RGB is an independent body and that despite the appointments he has no formal power to dictate the outcome. The April 2026 Organize NYC mobilization, launched by the administration, is framed as advancing tenant voice in RGB testimony, not as direct lobbying of board members.

The June 25 final vote

Scheduled for June 25, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. at El Museo del Barrio, 1230 5th Avenue at 104th Street. The outcome governs rent-stabilized leases starting October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. Three structural outcomes: 0% / 0% the freeze (first since 2015-16; Mamdani has publicly supported); some non-zero figure inside the 0-2 / 0-4 range; higher than 2% / 4% (landlord-side win; structurally unlikely under the Mamdani majority but not foreclosed). Four borough public hearings preceded the final: Queens (Jamaica Performing Arts Center, June 4); Bronx (Hostos Community College, June 8); Brooklyn (The Theater at City Tech, June 11); Manhattan (Symphony Space, June 16).

The parallel insurance program

The administration’s city-capitalized property and liability insurance program for rent-stabilized building owners, announced April 16, 2026, is structured to neutralize the landlord-side operating-cost argument going into the vote. Per-unit insurance costs in rent-stabilized housing rose 113% between 2020 and 2024 (from $703/unit/yr to $1,501/unit/yr) per the RGB’s 2026 Price Index of Operating Costs. Program targets: 20,000 units by 2027, 100,000 by 2030. For the full insurance-program mechanic and how it interacts with the RGB vote, see Mamdani’s NYC insurance plan.

The structural read: the May 7 vote shows the tenant-aligned bloc can hold a freeze-eligible range. The June 25 outcome decides which point inside that range wins.

If you want the June 25 RGB outcome and the housing fights that follow it as they move, the briefing follows them.

NYC Daily TL;DR is the smart daily briefing on NYC politics, housing, and business. Free.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.


Good Cause: The 8.79% Cap for Non-Stabilized Market-Rate Tenants

The second-largest cap-protected cohort. Good Cause Eviction took effect April 2024 and extended an annual increase cap plus non-renewal protection to most pre-2009 NYC market-rate units.

The 2026 cap math. Real Property Law §211 sets the annual cap at the lesser of (a) 10% or (b) 5% plus the regional CPI for the prior calendar year. DHCR’s February 19, 2025 notice locked the regional CPI reading at 3.79%, producing the 8.79% cap for increases that take effect during calendar year 2026. Presumptively reasonable, not a hard ceiling. A landlord can charge above but bears the burden of justifying the excess in NYC Housing Court. The cap applies to increases on existing tenancies, not the starting rent on a new lease.

Who Good Cause covers. Three tests, all must be true.

  1. Pre-2009 building. CO issued before January 1, 2009. The exemption is time-limited to 30 years from CO issuance, rolling: a 2009 building becomes Good Cause-covered in 2039.
  2. Rent below 245% of the local FMR. Manhattan thresholds, effective May 1, 2025: studio $5,471, 1BR $5,709, 2BR $6,321, 3BR $7,877, 4BR $8,499. Other boroughs sit on the same DHCR notice at typically lower dollar levels; the February 19, 2025 HCR notice linked in Sources carries the full five-borough table.
  3. Landlord owns more than 10 units statewide. Counted at the natural-person level across affiliated entities under the LLC-shell rule (RPL §211).

Stabilized, rent-controlled, NYCHA, HCV, Mitchell-Lama, and LIHTC tenants are explicitly carved out under RPL §214(5) because they have stronger protections.

Enforcement is in NYC Housing Court, not at DHCR. DHCR publishes the cap; the court adjudicates the dispute. Three triggers: non-renewal at lease end (Good Cause as affirmative defense in the holdover); rent increase above 8.79% (refuse to pay the excess, raise Good Cause when the landlord files nonpayment); any eviction filing (raise it in the answer). Right to Counsel representation was at 30% as of March 2025, down from 71% in FY21. Apply early through your borough’s intake desk.

The next DHCR cap notice is due February 2027 for the 2027 cap; the FMR threshold update is due August 1, 2026, effective May 1, 2027. For the full three-test walkthrough, the 30-year rolling exemption, the LLC-shell rule, and the June 15, 2034 sunset, see the NYC Good Cause Eviction explainer.

At 8.79%, Good Cause is meaningfully larger headroom than the 3% / 4.5% Order #57 stabilized cap and much larger than the freeze-eligible 0-2 / 0-4 Order #58 preliminary range. A Good Cause-covered tenant absorbs significantly more annual cap-headroom than a stabilized tenant.


Rent Control and HCV Section 8: The Other Two Cap Regimes

Two smaller cohorts, two distinct cap mechanics, both compressed.

Rent control: the post-HSTPA MBR / MCR formula

24,018 units citywide per the 2023 NYC Housing and Vacancy Survey. The smallest of the regulated regimes; the cohort shrinks slowly as continuous tenancies end. Eligibility: apartments in pre-February 1947 buildings where a tenant or qualifying successor has continuously occupied the unit since before July 1, 1971. NYS HCR / DHCR administers under Fact Sheet #22 (administration shifted from city to state effective April 1, 1984 under the Omnibus Housing Act of 1983).

MBR (Maximum Base Rent) recalibrates biennially based on operating-cost data. The current cycle is 2026-27 per HCR’s January 2026 Standard Adjustment Factor publication; the prior cycle was 2024-25.

MCR (Maximum Collectible Rent) is the actual rent the landlord can charge; cannot exceed MBR. Under HSTPA 2019, the annual MCR adjustment is the lesser of (a) the average of the five most recent RGB one-year guidelines or (b) 7.5%.

The five-year average has bound under HSTPA. The 2024-25 operative MCR adjustment was 1.95%, dramatically below the 7.5% statutory ceiling. The 2026-27 MCR adjustment factor will track the five-year average through Orders #54 to #58, which sits well below 7.5% under the current RGB rate environment.

Most SERP results that publish “rent control = 7.5% annual cap” are citing a statutory ceiling that has not bound in the post-HSTPA era. The operative number is the five-year average; the 7.5% is a backstop that would only activate in a high-RGB-rate environment.

Tenants challenge MBR calculation errors through DHCR rent administration. HCR oversees the regime.

HCV / Section 8: the Payment Standards mechanic

107,979 operational vouchers in FY26. Tenant pays roughly 30% of adjusted household income; NYCHA covers the gap up to the Payment Standard, set as a percentage of HUD’s local FMR (typically 90% to 110%; NYCHA has used 110% recently to widen accessibility).

Payment Standards effective July 1, 2025: studio $2,646, 1BR $2,762, 2BR $3,058, 3BR $3,811, 4BR $4,111. Exception Payment Standards effective January 1, 2026 apply in designated high-opportunity ZIP codes; a 1BR EPS reaches $4,452. Recalibration is annual, effective July 1; the next is expected July 1, 2026, once HUD’s FY27 Fair Market Rents land.

If the contract rent exceeds the Payment Standard, the voucher holder pays the difference, subject to a 40% affordability cap at initial lease-up only. NYCHA paused new voucher issuance from the general waitlist effective August 1, 2025; roughly 197,000 households remain on the waitlist. For the full HCV waitlist and the August 1 pause context, see the NYCHA public housing guide.


Worked Example: A $3,000 1BR Across All Four Regimes

The same NYC 1BR rented by the same tenant at $3,000/month, run through each cap regime.

RegimeCapMonthly rent afterAnnual difference vs $3,000
Stabilized + Order #58 freeze (on the table June 25)0% / 0%$3,000 / $3,000$0
Stabilized + Order #58 preliminary upper bound2% / 4%$3,060 / $3,120+$720 / +$1,440
Stabilized + Order #57 (current operative)3% / 4.5%$3,090 / $3,135+$1,080 / +$1,620
Good Cause-covered + 2026 cap8.79%$3,263.70+$3,164.40
Rent-controlled + 2024-25 operative MCR1.95%$3,058.50+$702
Rent-controlled + 7.5% statutory ceiling (not operative)7.5%$3,225+$2,700
HCV / Section 8Tenant pays ~30% of adjusted incomeVariesNYCHA covers gap to Payment Standard
Market-rate exemptNoneWhatever the lease saysOpen-ended; RPL §226-c notice only

HCV worked example. A voucher holder with $36,000 adjusted annual household income pays 30% = $900/month tenant share. The Payment Standard (1BR = $2,762 effective July 1, 2025) covers the gap. If the contract rent exceeds $2,762, the voucher holder pays the difference, subject to the 40% affordability cap at initial lease-up only.

The structural read. The gap between the lowest cap-eligible figure (a freeze at $3,000) and the highest (Good Cause at $3,263.70) is $263.70 per month, or $3,164.40 over a 12-month lease. The gap between Good Cause-covered and market-rate-exempt is open-ended. Which regime your apartment falls into is the largest variable in your annual rent calculus. The 8.79% vs 1.95% spread between Good Cause and rent control is the operating practical effect of HSTPA 2019: the five-year RGB average has consistently bound below the 7.5% statutory ceiling.

If you rent in NYC, this kind of structural map matters more than the next viral headline.

NYC Daily TL;DR is the smart daily briefing on NYC politics, housing, and business. Free. Under 10 minutes.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.


The Annual Cycle: When Each Cap Recalibrates

Four caps move on asynchronous schedules. In any given month between October and the following September, all four are simultaneously in effect: Order #N for stabilized, the calendar-year DHCR Good Cause notice, the current HUD Payment Standards, and the MBR / MCR biennial cycle. The rhythm:

The highest-velocity event after publication is the June 25 final vote on Order #58. Second: July 1, 2026 HCV Payment Standards (if HUD recalibrates). Third: August 1, 2026 DHCR FMR update (effective May 1, 2027). Fourth: February 2027 DHCR Good Cause notice. Fifth: spring 2027 Order #59 preliminary cycle.

For the city-side budget that funds Mamdani’s insurance program, HPD enforcement capacity, and Right to Counsel allocation across each cycle, see how the NYC budget process works.


How to Engage With RGB and Challenge a Rent Increase

Five concrete paths.

Path 1: RGB public testimony. The RGB holds public hearings each spring. The four borough Order #58 hearings ran Queens (June 4), Bronx (June 8), Brooklyn (June 11), Manhattan (June 16); the schedule is at housingnyc.com. Speakers register in advance; in-person and remote slots are available. Written comment is accepted at the published RGB address. The May-June testimony window is the maximum-leverage moment for tenants and landlords to shape the preliminary and final vote.

Path 2: RGB member contact. The nine board members are publicly named at housingnyc.com (full roster in section three). Member outreach through the published RGB address, in-person at hearings, or via your district City Council member is the structural lever. Member positions are public; tenants and landlords can identify which members are persuadable on any given vote.

Path 3: DHCR Rent Overcharge complaint (stabilization). File Form RA-89 (Rent Overcharge Application) with DHCR’s Office of Rent Administration by mail or online. The lookback period is six years under HSTPA 2019 (previously four years); evidence of fraud can extend the look-back further. Willful overcharge can produce treble damages. Pull your unit’s rent registration history free at the DHCR Ask HCR portal before filing. For pre-June 2019 overcharges, the Court of Appeals’ 2020 ruling in Regina Metropolitan applies the prior four-year lookback. Get a tenant attorney.

Path 4: Good Cause as affirmative defense in NYC Housing Court. Good Cause is not a DHCR complaint; it is an affirmative defense raised in NYC Housing Court (Civil Court Housing Part) when the landlord files a holdover or nonpayment proceeding. Three triggering scenarios (covered in section four). For the full Housing Court mechanic, see the NYC Good Cause Eviction explainer.

Path 5: Named NYC tenant and landlord orgs. Tenant-side testifying at every RGB cycle:

On the landlord side, the New York Apartment Association (NYAA) is the September 2024 merger of RSA and CHIP. CEO Kenny Burgos (former Assemblymember D-85 Bronx); Chairman Aaron Sirulnick. NYAA delivered 2026 RGB cycle testimony under the merged banner, centered on operating-cost pressure (insurance up 113% 2020-2024). REBNY (President James Whelan) remains a separate citywide real-estate trade group.

Concrete preparation. Tenants tracking the June 25 final vote should monitor housingnyc.com. Tenants challenging an Order #57 overcharge should pull their DHCR rent registration history before filing RA-89. Good Cause-protected tenants should keep written records of any rent-increase notice exceeding 8.79% and contact a Housing Court tenant attorney before renewal. HCV voucher holders should track the July 1 Payment Standards table at the NYCHA voucher pages.

If this page was useful, the daily briefing is what you'll want next.

NYC Daily TL;DR covers NYC housing, politics, and business the way someone who actually lives here would. Free weekday mornings.

Free. No name required. Unsubscribe in one click.



Sources


Last updated: June 7, 2026. [Refresh triggers: RGB Order #58 June 25 final vote outcome; DHCR Good Cause notice next February; HCV Payment Standards July 1 2026 recalibration; rent-controlled MCR adjustment.] For the operating constitution behind every claim on this page, see About NYC Daily TL;DR; for the editorial methodology that produces the daily briefing, see How we curate.