Bring Rent Stabilization Upstate

Our Platform

Rent control is a critical tool for cities across the state to immediately stabilize housing prices and strengthen our neighborhoods. From Albany to Rochester and across the Hudson Valley, tenants are organizing to bring rent stabilization to our communities.

Rent stabilization will …

Stop displacement.
Keep rents from outpacing our incomes.
Strengthen our neighborhoods.

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Newburgh City Council Votes for Rent Stabilization — *Newburgh, NY tenants and City Council Members after the vote for rent stabilization on December 18, 2023.*

How does rent stabilization work?

New York’s Emergency Tenant Protection Act (ETPA) is a state law that enables localities to regulate rents in buildings with 6 or more units built before 1974. With rent stabilization, each year, a local Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) made up of tenants, property owners, and public representatives votes on the rate of allowed rent adjustment for eligible buildings. This system, already in place in 41 municipalities across New York State, protects tenants from excessive rent increases while ensuring that property owners receive a fair return on their investment. Rent stabilization gives tenants protections against evictions without a good cause, guarantees lease renewals, and empowers renters to secure repairs and maintenance.

NYS municipalities already have rent stabilization

of rental units statewide are unregulated

of New York State tenants are rent-burdened

Residential Eviction Filings in NYS in 2023

of Unregulated Renters are People of Color

What are the steps to win rent stabilization in my community?

Tenants get organized!
The city must conduct a vacancy study to determine if it qualifies for a housing emergency declaration under the ETPA.
If the vacancy rate is under 5%, the city can declare a housing emergency and opt into rent stabilization. Rents in eligible buildings are immediately frozen at their current rates when a city opts in to the program.
The city appoints a Rent Guidelines Board made up of two tenant representatives, two property owner representatives, and five public representatives with expertise in housing or economic issues.
The Rent Guidelines Board holds a public hearing to hear from tenants (and landlords) about their economic conditions, before voting on a rent adjustment for one- and two-year leases.

FAQ

What tenant protections does ETPA Rent Stabilization provide?

Rent stabilization protects tenants from evictions without cause and guarantees the right to a lease renewal so long as they continue to pay rent and don’t violate terms of the lease. This prevents discriminatory or arbitrary displacement, and keeps communities stably housed together.

Will this affect newly constructed housing?

Under the current law, ETPA only applies to buildings of 6 or more units built before 1974. We propose updating the law for the modern era and the upstate context, learn more about proposed changes to the eligibility for rent stabilization here.

Will controlling rents in certain buildings make other housing more expensive

Our housing emergency has many causes, and it will take many solutions to ensure everyone has a place they can call home. Rent stabilization is a key, common sense policy tool that should be used together with things like code enforcement and building more housing to ensure that everyone has a safe, affordable roof over their heads. But corporate developers and landlords have been pushing our neighbors out while building expensive housing that our community can’t afford. We need to prioritize both building housing that meets our community’s needs and capping people’s rents so they can stay in their homes.

How will the Rent Guidelines Board decide rent adjustments?

Rent Guidelines Boards are made up of appointed tenant, landlord, and public representatives. Each year, the board holds hearings where tenants and landlords present data and speak to their economic conditions. The board then votes on a rent “adjustment” rate for the year.

What will ETPA mean for my rent?

Likely lower (or no!) rent increases than without it! New York City, which has the longest history of rent stabilization in the State, usually has 1%–4% increases in rent stabilized buildings. It hasn’t exceeded 5% in 30 years. In 2023, Kingston’s brand new RGB passed a rent freeze.

News Articles

Rochester renters demand rent stabilization on steps of City Hall, ABC Channel 13, January 17, 2024
Newburgh Adopts Emergency Tenant Protection Act, City & State New York, December 19, 2023
It’s legal, there’s just no precedent’: the first US town to demand a rent decrease, The Guardian, March 8, 2023
Kingston Becomes the First Upstate City to Adopt Rent Control, Curbed, August 2, 2022

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