NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) — The Rent Transparency Act, which took effect in January, is intended to make it easier for prospective renters to know when a building has rent stabilized apartments, but how can you find out whether a specific unit is stabilized?
Apartment hunters can find a database of rent stabilized buildings on the New York City Rent Guidelines Board website however, only existing tenants can find out if their unit is stabilized.
To determine if an apartment is rent stabilized and to get its rent history, tenants can complete an online form provided by the New York State Homes and Community Renewal agency. Tenants will get a mailed response in about 20 business days afterwards.
According to the website for the New York City Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit, renters may be in a stabilized apartment if:
their rent amount may not be a round number
the rent can only be increased by a percentage that is decided on each year by the Rent Guidelines Board such as 3% for 1-year leases and 4.5% for 2-year leases
More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State
The 2026 Rent Transparency Act helps tenants and prospective renters know if a building is rent-stabilized by requiring landlords to post signs in common areas, such as the building’s lobby, and provide guidance on how renters can find information about them.
The bill’s sponsor, Councilmember Sandy Nurse, has said that having the information accessible in the common area of a building will help empower tenants and prevent landlords from illegally raising rents.
Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work can be found here.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.