New York City will freeze rent for 1m apartments in big victory for Mamdani

A New York City housing board has voted to freeze rent for approximately 1m apartments.In a major victory for Zohran Mamdani, the mayor who campaigned on a pledge to freeze rent, the Rent Guidelines Board voted 7-1 on Thursday to freeze increases on one- and two-year leases. The decision will provide relief to tenants in more than 1m rent-stabilized apartments, representing over 40% of the city’s rental housing.Mamdani hailed the vote, calling it a “historic victory for New York City tenants”. He added: “After reviewing the data and hearing from New Yorkers across the city, the independent RGB has delivered a freeze on one-year leases, and the first-ever freeze on two-year leases in our city’s history. This is the relief that working people across our city deserve.“I’m grateful for the board members’ thoughtful consideration of the data, including tenants’ ability to pay, cost of living and building operating costs. I’ll continue working to deliver a more affordable city by building and preserving affordable housing, lowering building operating costs like insurance, and ensuring tenants know their rights,” he added.Among the board’s nine members, six were appointed by Mamdani. One member, Christina Smyth, who had been appointed by Eric Adams, resigned shortly before the vote, saying in a statement that she was “resigning because the process I was appointed to take part in is not administered the way the law requires”.“The Rent Guidelines Board has stopped being a fact-finding body. It has become a body that starts with an answer and vibe codes its way backward to justify it … This rebuilt board was required to deliver a rent freeze. Everything since has been theater,” Smyth added.Responding to Smyth’s resignation, the Rent Guidelines Board chair, Chantella Mitchell, defended the board’s process, saying in a statement: “I was surprised to receive Christina’s resignation this morning. I want to take this opportunity to affirm the independence with which this year’s board members have served, along with the rigor and integrity demonstrated by the RGB staff in preparing and presenting data.”The vote has drawn mixed reactions. Ann Korchak, board president of the Small Property Owners of New York, criticized the decision, calling it an “absolute farce”.“Proceeding with one of the most consequential rent votes in recent times with half of its owner representation undermined the balance and fairness of this process … The resignation of the only principled RGB member and the board’s only meaningful advocate for small owners validated our greatest fear, that the majority Mamdani-appointed RGB would cave to the political demands of city hall,” Korchak said.The Libertarian party of New York tweeted in response that “rent freezes exacerbate the housing crisis”.“NYC already has decades of rent regulations contributing to chronic shortages. Adding a freeze on top of that doubles down on the same mistake by punishing property owners rather than fixing the real problem: artificial scarcity created by government barriers to building,” they continued.Meanwhile, the Legal Aid Society hailed the decision, saying: “We commend the board for their vote tonight to freeze the rent for the more than 2 million New Yorkers who currently reside in rent-stabilized housing … At a time of historic unaffordability across the five boroughs – marked by an increased cost of living, low citywide vacancy rates, and record-breaking market-rate rent prices – a rent freeze is a prudent, evidence-based response to the challenges facing tenants across the five boroughs.”The rent freeze marks a significant policy victory for Mamdani, who has consistently argued that rising housing costs have made New York City increasingly unaffordable for working-class and middle-income residents.On Friday, Mamdani also made another major policy announcement, this time aimed at supporting the transgender community. His office unveiled a $15m investment in transgender healthcare, including a direct access fund for providers of youth gender-affirming care, as well as a new call and text line connecting New Yorkers with resources. The investment will also go towards funding for research gaps in healthcare access and outcomes for transgender and gender non-conforming New Yorkers.“Every New Yorker should have the freedom to live as themselves and access the healthcare they need,” Mamdani said, adding: “As the federal government attacks transgender people and attempts to intimidate patients, families and providers, New York City is stepping up. We will protect care, support the providers delivering it and make clear that trans New Yorkers belong in this city. Healthcare is a human right, and we will do everything in our power to defend it.”