New York City’s housing board has approved a key pledge made by Mayor Zohran Mamdani to freeze rents for about one million regulated apartments, according to the BBC. The vote occurred on Thursday and was met with cheers and whistles from hundreds of people in Manhattan, while the Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) approved a freeze for both one and two-year leases, marking a significant step in Mamdani’s policy agenda.

Mayor’s Statement and Board Vote

Mamdani called the vote a ‘historic victory for New York City tenants’ in a statement; the board voted in favor of the policy 7-1, as the decision came hours after one of its members, Christina Smyth, resigned publicly. Smyth accused the panel of bias and of ‘knowingly disregarding its own evidence’ that landlords face rising operating costs.

Smyth, one of three members appointed by former Mayor Eric Adams, was a landlord representative on the board. She claimed the outcome had been predetermined by the mayor. ‘The rebuilt board was required to deliver a rent freeze,’ she said in a statement. ‘Everything since has been theater.’

Board Chair’s Response

Chantella Mitchell. The chair of the board. Defended the vote and emphasized the independence and integrity of the board members. In a statement, she said ‘thorough data before the board this year reflect an economic environment in which most tenants in rent-stabilised housing struggle to meet basic affordability thresholds as housing costs continue to rise.’

Rent-stabilized buildings will be eligible for the rent freeze across all five of the city’s boroughs between October 2026 and September 2027. These buildings include high-rise luxury apartments as well as affordable subsidised units.

Public Hearings and Landlord Concerns

During public hearings held before the vote, tenants argued that their incomes were not keeping up with inflation and that past rent increases had not been used for building repairs or improvements. However, groups representing landlords warned that the rent freeze would make it more difficult to manage rising taxes, utilities, and repair costs, potentially leading to worse conditions for renters.

James Whelan, president of the Real Estate Board of New York, said ‘Older rent-stabilized buildings are already struggling under rising operating costs, yet the Board chose to disregard those realities.’ He added that the decision would result in less investment in maintenance and repairs, accelerating the deterioration of housing stock that millions of New Yorkers call home.

Mamdani’s campaign for mayor focused on cost-of-living issues, with the rent freeze being a central promise. Changing the composition of the board was also part of his platform. In a January 2025 video, Mamdani stated that the terms for eight of Adams’ nine RGB board appointees were up and he would replace them if elected mayor, promising to ‘only appoint those who understand that landlords are doing just fine.’

A preliminary vote in May by the rent guidelines panel had already endorsed Mamdani’s plan to effectively freeze rents for nearly one million New York apartments. Rent freezes have been implemented three times before between 2015 and 2021 under former Mayor Bill de Blasio, but only for one-year leases.

This victory for Mamdani adds to the successful election of a trio of left-wing congressional candidates backed by the mayor on Wednesday. Two of the candidates Mamdani endorsed, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and community activist Darializa Avila Chevalier, unseated incumbent Democratic congressmen. In the third race, state assemblywoman Claire Valdez beat an opponent who had the backing of much of New York City’s Democratic establishment.