I'm with some old friends at Greenpoint's Breeze (595 Manhattan Ave) noshing on the Veggie Potstickers & Tea Tree Mushrooms and sipping the Juno (a cocktail that answers the question of what if someone built a house with plums, doused it in whiskey, and set it on fire) when I hear a strident voice at the table next to me go "I'm 110% sure it's rent stabilized" and then this 10-pack of camel reds/day voice goes "there's no way you can prove it" and to the embarrassment (but not surprise) of my friends my body contorts itself into that 2012 "Well, actually" meme. Why? It's happy hour and the Juno is $9.99 and I brought a few Hamiltons with me.
(Think your apartment is rent stabilized and hate reading? Just take the quiz.)
Here's the thing: I've had maybe 200 conversations with New Yorkers who don't know whether their apartment is rent stabilized. Not because they're uninformed. Because the answer has been genuinely difficult to find: your landlord wasn't required to tell you, DHCR's website was designed by the Marquis de Sade, and asking around got you five different answers from five different people.
That changed on January 26, 2026.
Your Landlord Has to Tell You Now
Local Law 86, the Rent Transparency Act, kicked in last month. If your building has even one rent-stabilized unit, your landlord must post a notice in the common area, in English and Spanish, explaining how to check your unit's status.
Walk into your lobby. Look for the sign. If it's there, you have a starting point. If it's not there, that tells you something too.
But maybe you don't trust the lobby sign. Maybe there isn't one. Maybe you want to know for yourself. Let's figure this out.
The Coverage Test (In Plain English)
Rent stabilization isn't about how much you pay. It's about when your building was built and how big it is.
Does your building meet any of these?
That's most of it. There are edge cases (aren't there always?), but those three categories cover the overwhelming majority of the roughly one million rent-stabilized apartments in the city.
The Biggest Misconception I Hear
"My rent's too high for stabilization."
Every time I hear this my eyes find a way to roll deeper into my skull than they ever have before. Which is a good thing, cuz it's actually how my ophthalmologist and neurosurgeon met and now they're getting married and I wrote their prenup.
People confuse the Good Cause Eviction law with rent stabilization. Good Cause has a rent threshold: if you're paying more than about $5,800 for a one-bedroom (it's technically 245% of fair market rent, which changes annually), you might not be covered by Good Cause.
But rent stabilization has no rent cap. None. Zero.
The Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 ended high-rent deregulation entirely. Before HSTPA, landlords could deregulate apartments when rents hit a certain threshold and the tenant moved out. That loophole is closed. Permanently.
Your rent could be $8,000 a month. If your building meets the coverage criteria above, your apartment is still stabilized. You still have renewal rights. You still get RGB-capped increases.
Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
How to Actually Check
Option 1: Ask DHCR for Your Rent History
DHCR (the Division of Housing and Community Renewal) maintains registration records for every rent-stabilized apartment in New York. You can request your apartment's full rent history going back decades.
Here's how:
- Call 833-499-0343 (the newer number) or 718-264-3800
- Email [email protected]
- Text 'RENT HISTORY' to (646) 783-0627
- Visit hcr.ny.gov online
The rent history shows every legal rent your apartment has had since registration. If your apartment shows up in this system, it's stabilized. If it doesn't, either it's not covered, or something's wrong that might be worth investigating.
Option 2: Use JustFix's Tool
JustFix.org has a free, user-friendly rent history request tool at app.justfix.org. It walks you through the process and handles the paperwork. If forms stress you out (they stress everyone out), this is your friend.
Option 3: Check Your Lease
Under Local Law 86, any lease signed after January 26, 2026 should include language about whether the unit is stabilized. Older leases might not have this, but newer ones should.
What Rent Stabilization Actually Gets You
Let's say you confirm you're stabilized. What does that mean in practice?
Lease Renewal Rights: Your landlord must offer you a one-year or two-year renewal. They can't just decide not to renew because they found someone willing to pay more. This is separate from eviction protections under other laws. Stabilization gives you perpetual renewal rights as long as you follow your lease.
Rent Increase Limits: The Rent Guidelines Board sets maximum increases each year. For leases starting October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, the caps are 3% for a one-year renewal and 4.5% for two years. That's it. Your landlord can't charge more unless they get DHCR approval for specific capital improvements.
Succession Rights: If you've lived with the primary tenant in the apartment for at least two years before they leave or pass away (or one year if you're disabled or over 62), certain family members can take over the lease. This is powerful and often overlooked.
No More Deregulation Escape Hatches: HSTPA killed the vacancy bonus (landlords used to get a 20% bump when a tenant left), limited major capital improvement increases, and capped individual apartment improvement increases. The steady drip-drip-drip of apartments leaving stabilization has been plugged.
But My Landlord Says I'm Not Covered
They might be wrong. They might be lying. They might genuinely not know.
Some landlords try to claim the small landlord exemption (that's a Good Cause thing, not a rent stabilization thing), or they'll point to building construction dates they're fuzzy on, or they'll just hope you don't check.
Get the rent history. It's the source of truth. If DHCR has your apartment registered, you're stabilized, regardless of what your landlord says.
If your landlord claims an exemption you think is bogus, or if you're being charged more than the legal rent, you can file an overcharge complaint with DHCR. There's a four-year lookback, and treble damages are possible if the overcharge was willful.
Anyway
I showed them my website's online quiz on their phones and it turned out they both have rent stable apartments. Also, it turns out strident voice and 10-pack of camel reds/day were pretty cool and we ended up drinking another round of Junos together, and I wrote their landlords some letters. The End.
The Bottom Line
Almost half the rental apartments in New York City are rent stabilized. Your landlord is now required to tell you if yours is one of them. If they don't, you can find out yourself in about ten minutes.
And if you're confused about whether you're protected by rent stabilization, Good Cause Eviction, or both, you're not alone. These are different laws with different coverage tests. I've written about Good Cause here, and I'm happy to help sort out which protections apply to your specific situation.
Visit my website's intake form page and fill out the landlord tenant questionnaire and email your lease to [email protected] and I'll get back to you in 48 hours (not including weekends, cuz c'mon!)
This is general legal information, not legal advice for your specific situation. Every apartment is different. If you're facing an eviction or rent dispute, consult with an attorney who can review your actual circumstances.
