Home & Property · New York City
How to Find Out If Your Brooklyn Apartment Is Rent Stabilized
About a million NYC apartments are rent stabilized, which caps yearly rent hikes and lets you renew. Here's the one official way to know if yours is one.
Published June 21, 2026 · Last verified June 21, 2026
Lots of Brooklyn renters live in a rent-stabilized apartment without knowing it. About one million apartments across New York City are covered by rent stabilization. A stabilized lease generally means yearly rent increases are limited by the Rent Guidelines Board and the tenant has renewal protections. Since a 2019 law change, an apartment does not leave stabilization just because the rent gets high.
Many stabilized apartments are in buildings with six or more units built before 1974 that are not condos or co-ops. But age and size alone do not settle it, and a landlord may not spell it out for you.
The clean check starts with New York State Homes and Community Renewal, usually called HCR. Use the Ask HCR portal to request your apartment’s rent history, or use the current phone or email options listed by HCR with your full address. If the apartment is stabilized, HCR mails the rent history, usually within about 20 business days. That history can also show what past tenants paid.
Before signing or renewing in Brooklyn, save the full address, apartment number, landlord name, and lease dates. Then start with the current Ask HCR portal and follow the latest contact instructions there.