NYC landlords sue Rent Guidelines Board over 0% rent freeze

It argues the decision was arbitrary and unlawful.

Publication date: July 29, 2026

Good morning,

Today, we're looking at a new lawsuit against New York City's rent freeze and the growing problem of hate crimes in the city.

Write to us at editors@city-journal.org with questions or comments.

Now, on to the news…

Mamdani's Rent Freeze Goes to Court

Photo credit: ANGELA WEISS / Contributor / AFP via Getty Images

By law, New York City's Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) is required to consider economic factors like operating costs, taxes, and vacancy rates when weighing whether to raise stabilized rents. Last month, it voted to impose 0 percent rent increases on rent-stabilized units for both one- and two-year leases.

Now, a group of affected property owners is asking a state court to nullify the rent freeze. Represented by former First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro and his law firm, the group argues that the RGB's own research doesn't support a 0 percent increase.

Indeed, in the most recent year, landlords' expenses increased by 5.3 percent. That means that to hold net operating income constant, owners need increases of 3.4 percent on one-year leases and 4.8 percent on two-year leases. Further, the RGB alleged that landlords have seen a 6.2 percent jump in net operating income.

"But that number is drawn from a dataset that includes buildings with both stabilized and market-rate units," John Ketcham explains. "In these mixed buildings, the income landlords derive from the market-rate units offsets losses from the stabilized units, making it appear that the stabilized market is far healthier than is truly the case."

[Read more about the RGB's decision and the property owners' lawsuit.]

New York City's Hate Crime Problem Needs a Law-and-Order Solution

Last week, an Asian man and a Jewish man were stabbed near a synagogue in New York City. The assailant yelled "Allahu Akbar," and the NYPD is evaluating the attacks as a potential hate crime.

It's part of a troubling pattern, Josh Appel observes. Hate crimes jumped 69 percent in 2023, and they continue to climb. In New York City, more than half of hate crimes target Jews, despite the small share of the population they represent.

"While hate crimes resemble ordinary crimes in many ways, they are unique because they go beyond the victim," Appel writes. "A bias-motivated attack on one person threatens an entire community and risks driving a whole group out of civic life, regardless of criminal intent."

[Read more about how the city can get hate crimes under control.]

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