Finding a place in New York has always been a bit of a nightmare. But 2025? It’s basically felt like a fever dream for anyone with a lease renewal landing on their desk. If you’ve been doom-scrolling StreetEasy or checking the news for the latest Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) updates, you know the vibe is tense.
Honestly, the "average" numbers never tell the whole story. You hear 3% here or 6% there, but when you’re the one actually signing the check, those percentages feel a lot more personal. Between the new "Good Cause" laws and the RGB's latest Order #57, the landscape for nyc rent increase 2025 is a tangled mess of new rules and old-school supply-and-demand.
The Stabilized Reality: Order #57 is Here
If you live in a rent-stabilized apartment—which is roughly a million units in this city—your fate was sealed back in June. The Rent Guidelines Board had some pretty heated sessions, and they landed on a middle-of-the-road (though still painful) hike.
Basically, if your lease starts between October 1, 2025, and September 30, 2026, here is the breakdown:
- 1-Year Leases: 3% increase.
- 2-Year Leases: 4.5% increase.
It’s interesting because they actually nudged the one-year rate up and the two-year rate down compared to what they were initially floating in the spring. Mayor Adams called it a "challenging decision," which is politician-speak for "nobody is happy." Tenants wanted a freeze. Landlords wanted way more to cover rising insurance and repair costs. You're caught in the middle.
Wait, What About "Good Cause" Eviction?
This is where 2025 gets weird. If you aren't stabilized, you used to be at the mercy of whatever the landlord felt like charging. That changed. New York's Good Cause Eviction law is now in full swing, and it's acting like a "stabilization-lite" for market-rate tenants.
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Under this law, if your building is covered, a rent increase is "presumptively unreasonable" if it’s more than a certain cap. For NYC in 2025, that cap has been hovering around 8.79%.
How do they get that number? It's 5% plus the Consumer Price Index (CPI), or 10%—whichever is lower. Since inflation for the NYC area was roughly 3.79%, that 8.79% is the magic number. If your landlord tries to hit you with a 15% hike and you're covered by Good Cause, you actually have the right to fight that in court.
Who isn't covered?
It's not everyone. You're probably out of luck if:
- You live in a building built after 2009 (there's a 30-year exemption for new builds).
- Your landlord is a "small landlord" (owns 10 or fewer units).
- Your rent is already sky-high (above 245% of the Fair Market Rent). For a one-bedroom in 2025, that's anything over about $6,005.
Manhattan vs. The Boroughs: The Numbers Are Wild
Manhattan is still Manhattan. In September 2025, the median rent hit nearly $4,972. It’s basically a sport at this point to see how high it can go. But the real story isn't just the price; it's the vacancy. We are looking at a vacancy rate of around 1.5%. That is tiny. When there are no apartments, landlords hold all the cards.
Brooklyn actually saw the fastest percentage growth in some quarters of 2025, with rents jumping over 6% year-over-year. People are fleeing Manhattan for "value" in places like Bushwick or Bed-Stuy, only to find that the value has evaporated. Even the Bronx, which has historically been the last bastion of affordability, saw hikes near 5% last year.
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The FARE Act and Hidden Costs
You might’ve heard about the FARE Act (Fairness in Apartment Rental Expos). It basically says that whoever hires the broker has to pay the broker. This was a massive win for tenants who were tired of coughing up $10,000 in "broker fees" for someone who just opened a door.
But there’s a catch. Real estate experts like Jonathan Miller have pointed out that landlords might just bake those costs into the monthly rent. So, instead of a one-time $6,000 fee, you might see your nyc rent increase 2025 by an extra $400 a month. It’s a bit of a shell game.
Real Examples: What This Looks Like
Let's look at a hypothetical (but very real-feeling) scenario.
You’ve got a one-bedroom in Astoria. It’s market-rate. Last year you paid $3,000.
In January 2026, your landlord sends a renewal for $3,400.
That’s a 13.3% increase.
If you’re covered by Good Cause, you can point to that 8.79% limit ($3,263) and say, "Hey, this is unreasonable." If you aren't covered—maybe it’s a brand-new glass tower built in 2022—you might just have to pay it or pack your bags.
What’s Coming in 2026?
We’re already seeing signs that the "supply cliff" is coming. Construction starts for new apartments dropped 40% between 2023 and 2025. That means fewer new units hitting the market this year and next.
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StreetEasy predicts that while the rest of the country might see rents cool down, NYC is going to keep accelerating. The city still has a chronic shortage of housing. We're talking hundreds of thousands of units short of what we actually need.
Actionable Steps for Your Renewal
Don't just sign the first thing they send you. Seriously.
- Check your status. Go to the HCR website or use tools like "Am I Stabilized?" to see if your apartment is actually rent-regulated. You might be surprised.
- Run the Good Cause math. If you're market-rate, check the current CPI + 5% cap. If the ask is higher, mention the law in your negotiation email.
- Audit the broker fee. If you're moving, ensure you aren't being illegally charged a fee that the landlord should be paying under the FARE Act.
- Look at the "Net Effective" trap. If a landlord offers "one month free," your rent will jump significantly the following year when that concession disappears. Always negotiate on the gross rent.
- Document everything. If your landlord isn't maintaining the building but is hiking the rent, those photos of the leaky ceiling are your best leverage in a negotiation or at the RGB hearings.
The market is tough, but knowing the specific rules for nyc rent increase 2025 gives you a fighting chance. Keep an eye on the RGB’s next preliminary vote in April 2026—that’s when we’ll find out how much the next wave of increases will be.
For now, double-check your lease dates. If you're stabilized and your lease starts before September 30, the 3% cap is your shield. Use it.