57,000 rent-stabilized units sat vacant in 2025

 https://gothamist.com/news/57000-rent-stabilized-apartments-sat-empty-in-nyc-housing-agency-says

by David Brand

EXCERPT:

The figure was revealed in a letter that the state’s Division of Homes and Community Renewal sent to the city’s Rent Guidelines Board on Wednesday. Gothamist obtained a copy of the letter, which shows the number of vacant apartments rose by about 8,000 last year, with the largest increases in Brooklyn and Queens.

Officials cautioned that the count on April 1, 2025 of 57,421 empty units includes stabilized apartments in new buildings that have not yet been leased, as well as units awaiting a new tenant due to typical apartment turnover. The number also does not capture how many units were “warehoused” by landlords, or held off the market for multiple years. Still, the figure will add fuel to an ongoing debate between landlords and tenant advocates.

...

Landlords say a 2019 measure that prevents them from raising rent on vacant stabilized units disincentivizes owners from fixing up apartments and putting them back on the market because current-allowable rents won’t offset renovation costs. Tenant groups say landlords are exaggerating the number of apartments that they are holding off the market to gain political support for their goal of weakening renter protections. 

April 23 2026 Op Ed in City Limits

 

https://citylimits.org/opinion-most-empty-rent-stabilized-apartments-dont-need-a-lot-to-be-habitable/

Separating Myth from Fact: New Report!

Landlords have been warehousing rent stabilized apartments all over New York City in part claiming that owners lack money to bring the units up to code to rent out again. 

A new report from the Coalition to End Apartment Warehousing debunks that claim.  So even before massive construction that the City has proposed, there are existing apartments that people in this district could live in with minimal expenditures by the landlords. 

New Yorkers ask to make vacant units available

In response to the NY Times article on how to make New York City more affordable, some posts pointed to vacant units.

Chris in Queens, for example, wrote: 

I would also like to see some kind of residency requirement, where if you own a property and you don't either rent it out or live in it for a certain amount of time, you have to pay a stiff penalty. I don't like that people can just buy property and sit on it, driving up housing costs for everyone else.

That's followed by a long discussion - including how one might show the apartment owner is not really living there. But that question doesn't matter where landlords of large buildings with many rent-stabilized apartments are refusing to rent out those that become vacant.  We need a better law!

 

Rally to get City to implement Local Law 1!

 

Putting Local Law 1 into action - inspection of vacant apartments

With the sponsorship of Council Members Carlina Rivera and Gale Brewer, we won passage of Local Law 1 of 2024. That law requires landlords to keep vacant apartments in good repair.  It also allows neighbors to call 311 to get inspections of those apartments whose hazardous conditions affect them.  

BUT the City's Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD) has NOT implemented the bill yet.  Despite an 8-month delay to get funding and set things up, tenants still cannot call 311 and ask for an inspection of vacant units near them. 

So, come to a 

RALLY 

with Council Members 

on 

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10 at 10:30 AM 

at City Hall to 

Demand Local Law 1 of 2024 Go Into Effect. 

Join our Zoom: bit.ly/917KYR at 7 PM on 9/17!

 Click here to join our Town Hall on Zoom at 7 PM on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024.