Democratic socialist candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won three congressional primaries this week. The victories came as the city's Rent Guidelines Board approved a rent freeze for rent-stabilized apartments.
The Rent Guidelines Board voted 7-1 on Thursday to freeze rents for one- and two-year leases in approximately one million rent-stabilized apartments. The measure takes effect October 1 and marks the first zero percent increase under Mamdani's administration.
Mamdani appointed a majority of the board members and had pledged during his campaign to freeze rents. He posted on social media after the vote, writing, "It may be hot outside, but the rent is freezing."
In the primaries, Mamdani-endorsed candidates Assemblywoman Claire Valdez, Darializa Avila Chevalier and Brad Lander defeated their opponents. The wins expand the mayor's influence within the Democratic Party ahead of the midterms.
Before the vote, landlords could raise rents by 3 percent on one-year leases and 4.5 percent on two-year leases. The freeze applies to about one million of the city's 2.32 million renter-occupied apartments.
