In a recent mayoral candidate forum in New York City, frontrunner Zohran Mamdani was questioned about the legality of his proposed rent freeze plan.
His response, however, was far from satisfactory. The 33-year-old political prodigy's response was a jumble of words that undermined his own arguments for his most popular campaign pledge.
Mamdani began by criticizing landlords for their ever-increasing profits, a common theme in his campaign speeches. He then abruptly shifted gears, stating, To freeze the rent does not also preclude you from working on the necessity of a property tax reform agenda that is currently part of the reason why its so difficult to maintain rental housing across the city.
This statement raises questions about his stance: Is he suggesting that landlords are making excessive profits and therefore should not receive any raises? Or is he implying that landlords are struggling and need property tax relief to boost their profits? His position is logically inconsistent and, more importantly, likely illegal.
According to The New York Post, Mamdani defended his rent freeze proposal by highlighting the growing disparity between landlords' increasing profits and the stagnant median salaries of tenants. He believes that landlords are exploiting tenants in rent-stabilized buildings and that he, as mayor, can put an end to this.
However, the law does not grant the mayor the power to control rents. This authority lies solely with the Rent Guidelines Board (RGB).
While the mayor does appoint the members of the RGB, the board's decisions on rent adjustments are governed by the New York City Administrative Code, not by campaign promises. The RGB members are obligated by law to consider a variety of objective factors, including projected real estate taxes, water rates, gross operating and maintenance costs, finance costs, vacancy rates, the overall housing supply, the area's cost of living, and more.
The board is not responsible for considering tenants' incomes or determining whether landlords are making excessive profits.
Mamdani's rent freeze proposal is based on a legally dubious premise. The law requires the RGB to make annual adjustment decisions based on a comprehensive analysis of various statistics. However, Mamdani promises that his RGB will disregard the law's clear text and comply with his dictated 0% increase. In effect, he is promising voters that he will compel the RGB to violate the law for four consecutive years.
The RGB consists of nine members, two representing tenants, two representing landlords, and four representing the general public. Mamdani's proposal makes a mockery of a structure designed to achieve a fair, evidence-based compromise. If he follows through with his plan, it will likely result in legal challenges. By making such an explicit promise, Mamdani has created a record that could be used against him in court.
New York's highest court has explicitly ruled that independent bodies like the RGB must remain impartial. Any rent determination that appears to serve Mamdani's interests, rather than the law, should be invalidated. Mamdani's proposal is a clear prejudgmenta blatant attempt to predetermine the outcome for his entire term, even if impartial RGB findings suggest that a rent increase is necessary.
While Mamdani presents himself as a champion of the "little guy," his illegal plan could devastate small landlords throughout the city. Rent regulations already devalue the city's rent-stabilized buildings, making them challenging to maintain and operate at a modest profit. According to the RGB's latest report, landlords' operating costs increased by 6.3% between April 2024 and March 2025. Over the past five years, these costs have risen by a staggering 28.1%.
Mamdani's proposed rent freeze could result in more landlords unable to meet their monthly mortgage and insurance payments. His rent freeze is an empty promise. It's bad policy, as Mamdani essentially admits when he suggests that landlords deserve relief from high property tax and insurance rates. It's bad for tenants, who will end up paying "frozen" rents in poorly maintained buildings run by financially struggling landlords. And it's bad law, constituting a blatant abuse of the RGB's powers.
New York City's rent-stabilization rules were designed to balance the needs of landlords and tenants based on objective economic datanot the rhetoric of a politician waging class warfare. If Mamdani is elected, voters who believed in his economic fantasies may find the courts freezing his rent freeze plan.
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