New York City freezes rents in controlled buildings by one million | Home Affairs

New York City’s rent freeze fulfills a big promise from Mayor Zohran Mamdani

New York City has released nearly a million units of rent, making it a signature promise to Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

The 7-1 vote was handed down by the city’s Rent Guidelines Board on Thursday. The decision will freeze rent increases for one- and two-year leases on fixed-income housing.

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“This is a huge victory for those in New York City,” Mamdani said in a statement provided to Al Jazeera. “This is the relief that the working people of our city deserve.”

Permanent housing is in buildings built between 1947 and 1974 with more than six units, or through a tax incentive program that protects tenants from unexpected annual rent increases. However, it only affects about 41 percent of the city’s rental properties.

The polls took into account issues such as taxes, wages and inflation in making the decision.

Mamdani campaigned to freeze rent when he ran for mayor last year, one of the main reasons he entered City Hall to lead the most populous city in the United States.

The vote itself was a point of contention. Two days before the vote, Christina Smyth, who was appointed by former Mayor Eric Adams and was one of the homeowners who spoke to the group, resigned citing a lack of independence from the board.

In the letter, Smyth said the decision to freeze rent was made on the campaign trail. “A rebuilt board was needed to provide the steering wheel,” Smyth said. “Everything from the time of the theater.”

“It’s been the body that starts with the answer and the vibe goes back to justify it.”

The mayor appoints the members of the council, but he has to appoint two people who agree with the owners of the house, as well as the rest of the people.

The rent freeze was criticized by previous members, including Alex Schwartz, who served on the board under former Mayor Bill de Blasio, who voted to freeze the rent in 2020.

Financial pressures from the rent freeze could reduce landlords, especially small mom-and-pop owners, from making necessary repairs, Schwartz wrote in a recent op-ed in the New York Daily News, where he pointed out that 9 percent of rental units are in need of repairs.

The board voted to freeze rent three times under Mayor Bill de Blasio between 2015 and 2021.

In response to our request for comment on Mr Smyth’s comments, City Hall told Al Jazeera it was aware of the resignation and stressed that the council is an independent organisation.

Board Chairwoman Chantella Mitchell, who was appointed to Mamdani, disputed what she wrote in the letter, saying she acted independently.

Critics have long warned that regulated housing could lead to higher prices than unregulated housing, which creates more houses for rent in the city.

To deal with this, as Mamdani said Al Jazeera in April, his administration is moving to build more buildings throughout the city to put more units on the market and lower prices.

“We are looking for any tool we can to solve the housing crisis,” Mamdani told Al Jazeera at the time.

“In the medium and long term, we want to build more houses than what we have seen in this city recently.

In March, Mamdani officials launched a new program to speed up the process and accelerate the construction of affordable housing at city rates by cutting the tape. The city created a group of pre-approved builders that shortened the project by eight months, as well as an expedited land use permit that could speed up construction by up to two years.