What is Rent Stabilized Housing?

Rent stabilization is a regulatory system that caps how much landlords can raise rents each year, typically allowing increases of only 2-4% compared to market-rate apartments where rents can jump 20-30% or more when units turn over. This protection has historically been crucial for keeping long-term residents in their neighborhoods and preventing displacement, especially in areas experiencing gentrification. However, NYC has been steadily losing rent-stabilized units for decades through various loopholes, building conversions, and landlord challenges to rent regulation laws. This dashboard examines where rent-stabilized housing still exists across the city, how the total stock has changed over time, and the broader landscape of regulated housing including rent control (an even stricter but nearly extinct form of rent regulation). Understanding the geography and trajectory of rent stabilization is essential because once these protections are lost, they're nearly impossible to regain, and the residents who lose them face immediate vulnerability to dramatic rent increases that can force them from their homes.