Rent Increases in New York: What Are My Rights?
This page explains New York State rules on rent increases for homes that are not rent stabilized or rent controlled. It covers the written notice your landlord must give and what happens if the notice is late. It explains the Good Cause Eviction limit on large increases where that law applies. It also covers retaliation and points you to rent stabilization rules.
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No statewide law caps rent for a home that is not rent regulated. Your landlord may charge any rent you both agree to. The limits below are about notice, timing, and a few places with extra rules.
✓ Sources checked September 21, 2026
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While a fixed-term lease is running, your rent stays at the amount in the lease. Your landlord cannot raise it before the lease ends unless both you and your landlord agree. A 1-year lease at $1,500 stays at $1,500 for all 12 months.
✓ Sources checked September 22, 2026
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Your landlord must give you written notice before raising your rent by 5% or more, or before refusing to renew your tenancy. 5% of $1,500 rent is $75, so a raise to $1,575 or more needs this notice. A smaller raise does not.
✓ Sources checked September 12, 2026
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The notice period depends on how long you have lived there or how long your lease is, whichever is longer. Less than 1 year and a lease under 1 year: 30 days. More than 1 year but less than 2, or a lease of 1 to 2 years: 60 days. More than 2 years, or a lease of 2 years or more: 90 days. Count from the day you actually receive the written notice.
✓ Sources checked September 12, 2026
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If your landlord gives late notice or no written notice, your old rent continues. First, keep paying the old amount on time. Then count 30, 60, or 90 days from the day you got written notice. The new rent can only start after that full period ends. A lease clause saying otherwise does not count.
New York State Senate Real Property Law § 226-c(1)(a) New York State Attorney General Better Notice of Rent Increases and Lease Non-Renewals✓ Sources checked September 12, 2026
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If you stay after your lease ends and your landlord accepts rent, you become a month-to-month tenant. Your landlord can raise a month-to-month rent only if you agree. If you do not agree, the landlord's other option is to end the tenancy. New York law requires written notice before ending or not renewing it. The notice period is 30, 60, or 90 days. It depends on how long you have lived there or the length of your lease, whichever is longer.
New York State Attorney General Month-to-Month Tenants New York State Senate Real Property Law § 226-c(1)(a) New York State Senate Real Property Law § 232-c✓ Sources checked September 21, 2026
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The Good Cause Eviction Law applies only in some places. Governor Hochul signed it into effect on April 20, 2024. It is in effect in New York City. Outside the city, it applies only where the village, town, or city adopts it by local law. The state housing agency, Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), must publish a list of those places by August 1 each year. Its current notice lists the places that had opted in as of May 4, 2026. Check that list for your town.
RenterLaw editorial New York State Senate Real Property Law § 212 New York State Senate Real Property Law § 213(1) New York State Homes and Community Renewal Geographic Applicability✓ Sources checked September 23, 2026
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Where Good Cause applies, an increase above the local rent standard is first treated as unreasonable. The standard is 5% plus last year's inflation rate, capped at 10%. HCR's July 16, 2026 notice sets inflation at 3.38% for the 12 downstate counties and 3.15% elsewhere. The downstate standard is 8.38%. On $2,000 rent that is $167.60. A raise to $2,167.60 is within the standard, and a raise to $2,300 is first treated as unreasonable. Upstate the standard is 8.15%, which is $97.80 on $1,200 rent.
New York State Homes and Community Renewal Consumer Price Index New York State Senate Real Property Law § 211(7), (8) New York State Senate Real Property Law § 216(1)(a)(i)✓ Sources checked September 22, 2026
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Good Cause does not cover every home, even where it applies. These are not covered: a home owned by a small landlord. A small landlord owns 10 units or fewer in the state, or another number set by local law. A building of 10 units or fewer where the owner lives. A building with a certificate of occupancy from January 1, 2009 or later, for 30 years. A unit with rent rules under another law, such as rent stabilization. A unit that must stay affordable at a set income level.
New York State Senate Real Property Law § 211(3)(a) New York State Senate Real Property Law § 214(5)✓ Sources checked September 22, 2026
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Where Good Cause applies, your landlord's rent-increase notice must attach the state Good Cause form. The form must say whether your home is covered, and if the raise is above the local rent standard, the landlord's reason for it. A raise at renewal also needs written notice at least 30 days and at most 90 days before the lease ends.
New York State Senate Real Property Law § 226-c(1)(a)(iii) New York State Senate Real Property Law § 216(1)(j) New York State Senate Real Property Law § 231-c(1)✓ Sources checked September 12, 2026
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Where Good Cause applies, a court cannot evict you for not paying rent that came from an unreasonable increase. The court looks at the landlord's costs, like property taxes, utilities, insurance, and maintenance. The law is set to be repealed June 15, 2034.
✓ Sources checked September 24, 2026
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Your landlord cannot use a rent increase to punish you for a good-faith complaint about repairs, code violations, or your rights. The same applies if you join a tenant group. If the raise comes within 1 year of your complaint, the court treats it as retaliation unless the landlord proves another reason. This does not cover an owner-occupied building with fewer than 4 units.
✓ Sources checked September 23, 2026
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For a retaliatory rent increase, a court can order the landlord to pay you money and your lawyer's fees.
✓ Sources checked September 22, 2026
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Rent stabilization sets a yearly maximum increase for covered apartments. Outside the state's largest city it applies in Nassau, Rockland, and Westchester counties and the City of Kingston. It generally covers buildings of 6 or more units built before 1974, in localities that adopted it. A Rent Guidelines Board sets the rate each year for leases starting on or after October 1. If you are charged more, file an overcharge complaint with HCR. Rent stabilization in the city has its own rules; check your city's guide.
New York State Attorney General Rent Regulated Housing, Rent Stabilization New York State Homes and Community Renewal Overview New York State Homes and Community Renewal Fact Sheet #8, Summary and Highlights✓ Sources checked September 22, 2026
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