New York City’s Rent Guidelines Board on Thursday approved Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s (D) two-year rent freeze proposal for 1 million rent-stabilized apartments.
The 7-1 decision by the independent board, consisting of mayoral appointees, applies to rent-stabilized apartments in buildings constructed before 1974 and buildings with certain tax breaks.
The rent freeze goes into effect starting Oct. 1 and lasts until Sept. 30, 2027.
Past iterations of the board have frozen the rent before, including under former Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) before rent increases under his successor and Mamdani’s predecessor, former Mayor Eric Adams (D).
Activists poured into the streets of East Harlem in jubilation after the vote, which took place at El Museo del Barrio, The New York Times reported. Organizers passed around pizza and played music, where Queen’s “We Are the Champions” could be heard.