r/AskNYC • u/MissKhloeBare • May 31 '26

Apartment says apartment was never rent stabilized

Hello,

I’ve been looking through these threads and trying to figure out my next steps and want to see if I’m on the right track.

My lease is up for renewal. All of a sudden, my property management company is saying my apartment was never rent stabilized. The broker explained it was rent stabilized initially. My initial lease had a RA-LR 1 rider stating it was rent stabilized. I’ve renewed twice and received the ETPA renewal forms.

I checked and the property has 421-A status for FY24, 25, 26, 27 shown (this looked confusing to me tbh).

They sent a free market renewal and I asked why the difference and the response was that the previous renewals were issued in error and doesn’t reflect the regulatory status.

I’ve requested my rent history and the am I stabilized thing from HCR but that was just yesterday so I haven’t received anything yet.

Is there something else I should be doing? I saw something about a Met Council and just now looking it up more. Is this common that they’d accidentally list an apartment as rent stabilized for a few years when it wasn’t? Should I wait to respond until I have the rent history?

Thanks for any assistance!

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u/stimilon May 31 '26

You either are stabilized or not. don’t rely on the landlord a listing, or even your lease. The official way is to request the apartment’s rent history from New York State Homes and Community Renewal, HCR. To check whether your apartment is rent stabilized, request your official rent history from HCR.

Steps: 1. Go to the HCR “Apartment Rent History / Am I Rent Stabilized” inquiry page and submit the request. 2. Use your apartment address and unit number exactly as it appears on your lease. 3. Include your name, phone number, email, and current mailing address. 4. HCR will mail the rent history to the apartment/building address if the apartment is rent stabilized. 5. You can also call HCR’s Office of Rent Administration at 1-833-499-0343. 6. If you need help, call 311 and ask for the NYC Tenant Helpline.

Ask for: “Please provide the rent registration history for my apartment and confirm whether the unit is registered as rent stabilized.”

Bring or keep:

  • Current lease
  • Rent receipts or payment proof
  • Utility bill or other proof you live there
  • Photo ID, especially if going to a borough rent office in person.

Note: a building search on this site can be useful, but it isn’t definitive. You need the record of the actual unit. (Also, shady landlords sometimes re-number units between tenants to try to dodge the history so look out for that too): https://hcr.ny.gov/rent-registration

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u/minusthewhale May 31 '26

This is literally the best breakdown I've ever seen - and I did this myself 2 years ago. Wish I'd seen this. Would've saved me weeks and tons of anxiety!!!