The NYC Rent Guidelines Board will vote Thursday evening on the future of rents for more than 2.5 million New Yorkers who live in rent-stabilized apartments despite an 11th-hour resignation by one of its members.
Christina Smyth, a landlord representative appointed to the board by then-Mayor Eric Adams, resigned in protest Thursday morning. She submitted a resignation letter in which she claims the board’s work had become corrupted as it pursued a pre-ordained political outcome.
The board is considering a proposal that could freeze rents or set increases of 0-2% for one-year leases and 0-4% for two-year leases for the city’s one million rent-stabilized units.
A final vote is scheduled to take place Thursday 7 p.m. at El Museo del Barrio on the Upper East Side.
The chair of the Rent Guidelines Board, Chantella Mitchell, said in a statement she was “surprised” by Smyth’s sudden resignation.
“I want to take this opportunity to affirm the independence with which this year’s board members have served, along with the rigor and integrity demonstrated by the RGB staff in preparing and presenting data. I thank them all, including Christina, for their service,” Mitchell said.
“We will proceed with tonight’s vote,” the statement concluded.
Thursday evening’s vote will impact more than 2.5 million New Yorkers, many of whom have not seen a freeze in rent increases since Bill de Blasio was in office.
This year, almost all nine members of the board have been appointed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has made fair housing a corner stone of his office. Because the approved range includes zero percent, there’s a good chance a rent freeze could be the outcome at the final hearing, which follows a series of public hearings.
In 2025, the Rent Guidelines Board approved a 3% increase on one-year leases and 4.5% on two-year leases. Landlords had hoped for another uptick, but Korchak said that by including zero percent in the range, it all-but-ensures there will be a rent freeze.
Mayor Mamdani, who campaigned on freezing the rent, said he was “encouraged” by the board’s decision at the preliminary vote.
“New Yorkers are being crushed by the cost of living, and they need real relief. I’m encouraged to see the Board taking seriously the data around affordability, operating expenses, and the pressures facing both tenants and small property owners as it sets this preliminary range,” the mayor said in a statement. “As the RGB begins its public hearings, tenants, owners, and New Yorkers from every borough should make their voices heard and speak directly to what this housing crisis looks like in their lives. I’m confident the Board will weigh those perspectives carefully and arrive at a decision later this summer that reflects the urgency of this moment.”
