Offices are open (by appointment only) Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 4:30 PM, except on City Holidays.

Bronx Borough Rent Office
1 Fordham Plaza, 4th Floor
Bronx, NY 10458
(718) 430-0880

Brooklyn Borough Rent Office
55 Hanson Place, 6th Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11217
(718) 722-4778

Lower Manhattan Borough Rent Office
25 Beaver Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10004
(212) 480-6238
 
Upper Manhattan Borough Rent Office
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Office Building
163 West 125th St, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10027
(212) 961-8930

Queens Rent Office
Gertz Plaza
92-31 Union Hall Street, 6th Floor
Jamaica, NY 11433
(718) 482-4041

Review your lease to see if there is any mention of rent stabilization or rent control in the lease or any riders.

• Rent Stabilized Apartments:
  • Are in buildings that contain six or more apartments, were built before January 1, 1974, and are not co-ops or condos
  • Are those where you sign a lease every one or two years with a percentage increase
  • For an apartment to be stabilized it must have had a rent of less than $2,000 if the tenant first moved into the apartment in 1993 or later
• Rent Controlled Apartments:
  • Are in buildings built before February 1, 1947
  • Have been occupied continuously by a tenant or his/her legal successors since June 30, 1971
  • For one- or two-family houses, a tenant must have been living in that apartment continuously since April 1, 1953

There are some exceptions to these rules. 

You can submit an inquiry about an apartment's rent stabilization status and rent history online or by email. You can also visit a Borough Rent Office for in-person assistance.

​Online

Tenants can find information, request a rent history, and submit questions about regulation issues.

Information and forms available in additional languages.

By Email

rentinfo@hcr.ny.gov

In Person

Visit an HCR Borough Rent Office.

Legal Regulated Rent

The amount of rent that the landlord is allowed to charge for an apartment as established by the rent stabilizing laws.

Preferential Rent

A preferential rent is a rent that an owner agrees to charge that is lower than the legal regulated rent that the owner could lawfully collect.

In 421-a (16) buildings, apartments initially rented at an amount at or above the market rate threshold qualify for permanent exemption from rent stabilization. In 421-a (16) buildings, an  apartment that is rent stabilized and then vacated also qualifies for permanent exemption if the market rate threshold has been lawfully reached.

Learn more about deregulation of stabilized apartments.

An owner of a rent stabilized or rent controlled apartment may collect a surcharge from the tenant to install window guards. The New York State Division of Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) has set a one time maximum fee of $10.00 per window guard for rent controlled or rent stabilized apartments.

If you receive assistance paying your rent, you are not required to pay for the window guards out-of-pocket. The cost of window guards installed in public areas may not be passed on to tenants in the building. If you have questions or problems with window guard fees, you should contact your rent assistance program or agency.

If you have an open case with HCR and need to respond, or if you have questions about your case, you can get assistance by mail or in person.

By Mail

You can write to: 

HCR - Office of Rent Administration
Gertz Plaza
92-31 Union Hall Street
Jamaica, New York 11433 

You must include your docket number.

In Person

You can also get in person assistance in multiple languages at an HCR Borough Office.