NYC Rent Guidelines Board passes preliminary vote on rent increases
MANHATTAN - Protesters interrupted a meeting of New York City's Rent Guidelines Board on Tuesday evening, storming the stage to make their voices heard before a preliminary vote on rent increases.
Protesters, along with some members of the New York City Council's progressive wing stormed the stage as board members discussed rent increases, forcing the board to take a recess and leave the stage.
Just before that, many tenants and tenant advocates were chanting "Rent Rollback," demanding the board roll back current rents throughout the length of the meeting.
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Rallies and debates triggered by possible rent hikes across New York City have garnered an emotional response from New Yorkers hoping to keep their head above water with their monthly housing expenses.
In the end, the board voted to increase one-year leases by 2-5 percent and two-year leases by 4-7 percent for rent-stabilized apartments in the city.
Renters say the increases would drive them out of their apartments, while landlords say they aren't making enough to maintain their buildings and pay property taxes, utility bills, and other costs.
"I want to be clear," Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement. "That a seven-percent rent increase is clearly beyond what renters can afford and what I feel is appropriate this year."