SCRIE/DRIE
Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) and Disability Rent Increase Exemption (DRIE) Information for Tenants
Effective September 18, 2009, the SCRIE program has been transferred from the New York City Department for the Aging to the New York City Department of Finance. The transfer will make it easy for seniors to apply for this important benefit. The eligibility rules have not changed, and they are described below. If you have questions about the transfer, please read more about the transfer.
The Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) and the Disability Rent Increase Exemption (DRIE) Programs offer eligible tenants an exemption from rent increases which may result in a reversion to rent paid under a previous lease or rent order. The owner of the building receives a corresponding credit against their real estate taxes from the City of New York. Applicants must meet ALL of the eligibility requirements.
SCRIE Information for Tenants and Landlords
DRIE Information for Tenants
DRIE Information for Landlords
Forms and Publications
Learn about these and other programs available through
Access NYC
SCRIE Information
SCRIE FAQ's for Tenants
SCRIE FAQ's for Landlords
SCRIE Eligibility
For SCRIE eligibility, applicants must:
-
Be 62 years of age or older;
-
Rent an apartment that is regulated by the Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) (i.e. rent controlled or rent stabilized apartments or hotel stabilized);
-
Have an annual household income of $29,000 or less;
For applications received in 2009, income eligibility is established by the applicant's income from calendar year 2008; and
-
Pay more than one-third of the household's aggregate disposable income for rent.
SCRIE Requirements
To Apply for SCRIE: Mail or fax your completed Senior Citizen or Disability Rent Increase Exemption application, along with the applicable documents. For Proof of Residence use the following table:
| If you live in a... |
You must submit... |
| Rent Stabilized Apartment |
- Renewal Leases – The prior and current one or two-year lease signed by you and your landlord
- Preferential rent rider (if applicable)
- Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) or 80/20 or 60/40 rider (if applicable)
OR
- DHCR Rent History
|
| Rent Controlled Apartment |
- Notice of Maximum Collectible Rent (Form # RN – 26) for prior year
- Notice of Maximum Collectible Rent (Form # RN – 26) for current year
- Owner’s report and Certification of Fuel Cost Adjustment (form # R33.10) for prior and current year
|
| Hotel-Stabilized Apartment |
- DHCR annual apartment registration for prior and current year
- Signed Rent increase letter from the Management or Owner
OR
- DHCR Rent History
|
Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) FAQs
(Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions)
For Tenants
Download English Brochure (59k)
Download Chinese-Language Version (1.1M)
Download Russian-Language Version (749k)
Download Spanish-Language Version (646k)
For Landlords
Download English Brochure (63k)
Download Chinese-Language Version (719k)
Download Russian-Language Version (922k)
Download Spanish-Language Version (602k)
Mail application and documents to:
NYC Department of Finance, Attention: SCRIE/DRIE
59 Maiden Lane - 19th Floor
New York, NY 10038
Fax: (212) 232-1757
For information on your SCRIE status , call 311.
Refunds for Excess SCRIE Credits
SCRIE credits in excess of a property's tax liability will be rolled forward to succeeding periods. Excess SCRIE credits can be refunded by filing a Property Refund Request form.
Property Refund Request
Download Form (39k)
Request a refund online
Generally, the current owner of the property should apply for the refund. In the case of cooperative apartment buildings, only the entity that is responsible for payment of property tax is entitled to apply for and receive the refund. You cannot receive a cash refund if you are in arrears in property tax for other City property.
DRIE Information
DRIE Eligibility
For DRIE eligibility, applicants must:
- Rent an apartment that is (a) regulated by the Division of Housing and Community Renewal (i.e. rent-controlled or rent stabilized apartments); (b) a Mitchell Lama apartment or co-op; (c) owned by a limited dividend housing company, redevelopment company or housing development fund company incorporated under the private housing finance law; or (d) Section 213 Cooperative Housing Companies;
- Be the adult head of household (18 years of age or older) named on the lease or rent order, be the tenant of record, be the spouse or registered domestic partner with a disability or either of the above. Tenants of record must have attained and exercised their legal rights of succession to the apartment when the leaseholder vacates the apartment either by moving or death;
- Receive eligible state or federal disability-related financial assistance;
The applicant must currently be receiving any one of the following forms of financial assistance:
- Federal Supplementary Security Income (SSI)
- Federal Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
- US Department of Veterans Affairs disability pension or compensation (Must be Military service-related disability pension or compensation); or
- Disability-related Medicaid (if the applicant has received either SSI or SSDI in the past).
- Have an annual household income of $19,284 (single-person household) or $27,780 (for households consisting of two or more members);
For applications received in 2009, income eligibility is established by the applicant's income from calendar year 2008.
- DRIE applicants: for a single-person household, the applicant's total household income must be less than or equal to $19,284. For households with two or more members, the income of all household members must be less than or equal to $27,780.
- Pay more than one-third of the household's aggregate disposable income for rent.
DRIE Requirements
To Apply for DRIE: Mail or fax your completed Senior Citizen or Disability Rent Increase Exemption application, along with the following applicable documents. For Proof of Residence use the following table:
| If you live in a... |
You must submit... |
| Rent Stabilized Apartment |
- Renewal Leases – The prior and current one or two-year lease signed by you and your landlord
- Preferential rent rider (if applicable)
- Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) or 80/20 or 60/40 rider (if applicable)
OR
- DHCR Rent History
|
| Rent Controlled Apartment |
- Notice of Maximum Collectible Rent (Form # RN – 26) for prior year
- Notice of Maximum Collectible Rent (Form # RN – 26) for current year
- Owner’s report and Certification of Fuel Cost Adjustment (form # R33.10) for prior and current year
|
| Hotel-Stabilized Apartment |
- DHCR annual apartment registration for prior and current year
- Signed Rent increase letter from the Management or Owner
OR
- DHCR Rent History
|
| Mitchell-Lama, Limited Dividend, Redevelopment |
- Housing Preservation & Development (HPD) or Division of Housing & Community Renewal (DHCR) Commissioner’s Order
- Rent History detail for the month prior to the most recent base charge/rent increase to present
- Affidavit of Household Income for the prior year
|
| Housing Development Fund Company (HDFC) |
- A Notice of Rent / Carrying Charge Increase signed by the HDFC Management
OR
- Signed renewal lease (if applicable)
|
Disability Rent Increase Exemption (DRIE) FAQs
(Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions)
Download English Brochure (37k)
Download Chinese-Language Version (501k)
Download Russian-Language Version (307k)
Download Spanish-Language Version (268k)
Mail application and documents to:
NYC Department of Finance, Attention: SCRIE/DRIE
59 Maiden Lane - 19th Floor
New York, NY 10038
Fax: (212) 232-1757
For information on your DRIE status or appeal only, call the DRIE unit at 212-487-6736.
For help in completing the DRIE application, contact the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) at: www.nyc.gov/mopd and click on Contact MOPD on the left sidebar, or at:
100 Gold Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10038
Tel (212) 788-2830
Fax (212) 341-9843
TTY (212) 788-2838
When to Apply: Rent stabilized tenants who are in the first lease of their apartment cannot apply for the DRIE benefit until they receive a renewal lease or other eligible increase. Rent stabilized tenant's who apply for the DRIE benefit during the first lease of their apartment will be denied and will have to apply again when they receive a signed renewal lease.
Tenants in Mitchell-Lama, Limited Profit, Limited Dividend, Redevelopment, HDFC, and Section 213 Housing may apply at any time. If a tenant applies within 120 days of the date of a rent increase and is approved for DRIE, the DRIE benefit will be retroactive to the date of the increase. If Finance received the DRIE application more than 120 days after the date of the rent increase, however, the DRIE benefit will not be retroactive.
If you move to a new apartment: If you have been approved for the DRIE benefit, and you move to a new eligible apartment, you may be entitled to the DRIE benefit based on your most recent Tenant Approval Order. You must notify the DRIE Unit to determine whether your new apartment is eligible and, if it is, Finance must determine your new rent freeze amount, if any, and your new landlord's tax abatement credit. Use the regular DRIE application and submit it with a copy of your most recent Tenant Approval Order, your new lease/rent order and a note indicating that you had DRIE at your prior address.
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Level of Benefit
DRIE benefits for rent stabilized and rent controlled tenants will take effect on the first day of the month following the month in which Finance received the tenant's application. DRIE benefits for eligible tenants/shareholders residing in buildings that are Mitchell Lama developments, Limited Dividend Housing companies or housing development fund companies incorporated under the private housing finance law, or buildings where the mortgage was federally insured under Section 213 of the National Housing Act may take effect retroactively to the first date of the increase.
Rent-stabilized apartments: Eligible tenants will have their rent frozen at the level of their prior lease.
Rent-controlled apartments: Eligible tenants who applied for DRIE by December 31, 2008 will have their rent frozen at the amount they were paying on December 31, 2007. Eligible tenants who apply for DRIE in 2009 will have their rent frozen at the amount they were paying on December 31, 2008.
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Notification of DRIE Eligibility
All DRIE applicants will receive written notification of their DRIE approval or denial. DRIE approvals will include the rent amount that has been frozen and the date the rent freeze is effective. If you have not received notification from Finance of your DRIE approval, and you receive a new lease or notice of rent increase, you should sign the lease and pay the rent increase. Then, when you are approved for DRIE, your rent will be frozen at a lower rate effective the first day of the first month after Finance received your application. Your landlord will owe you the difference between the DRIE-approved rent level and the rent you paid under the new lease from the DRIE effective date.
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Renewal/Recertification of DRIE Approval
When you have been approved for DRIE, and your rent is frozen, you must recertify or renew your DRIE benefit at the end of your benefit period indicated on your DRIE Order of Approval.
This renewal/recertification lets Finance know that you still may be eligible for the DRIE benefit and that there may be a change to the abatement credit given to your landlord because there has been an increase in your rent.
In order to recertify, please complete the Renewal/Recertification Application and send to Finance with a copy of the new lease or rent order. You must submit this form to keep your information current and to ensure that your DRIE benefit continues.
If there is a death in the household resulting in a permanent loss of 20 percent or more of income to a qualifying member of the DRIE applicant’s benefits, the surviving tenant should inform Finance in writing to request a redetermination.
Adjustment to Abatement
This form should be used by tenants who are presently receiving a DRIE benefit and who want to apply for an adjustment due to a rent increase caused by a fuel cost adjustment, MCI (major capital improvement), or J-51 reduction. In any of these situations, please complete the Adjustment to Abatement form and send it to Finance with a copy of the notice of adjustment that you received from your landlord or managing agent.
The Appeal Process
Applicants who are denied DRIE or who disagree with the Department's Approval Order (the rent freeze amount, benefit period etc.) may appeal Finance's decision. Submit the Application for Appeal of the Disability Rent Increase Exemption within 60 days of the date on Finance's notification of DRIE denial. The Application for Appeal instructions lists the required documentation to support an appeal.
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Forms and Publications
SCRIE
Application for Senior Citizen or Disability Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE/DRIE)
Download Form (35k)
Senior Citizen or Disability Rent Increase Exemption Adjustment to Abatement (SCRIE/DRIE)
Download Form (29k)
Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) Portability Application
Download Form (45k)
Application for Appeal of the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption Determination (SCRIE)
Download Form (104k)
Transfer of SCRIE to Finance FAQs
(Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions)
Download Brochure (42k)
Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) FAQs
(Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions)
For Tenants (59k)
For Landlords (63k)
Property Refund Request
Download Form (39k)
Request a refund online
DRIE
Application for Senior Citizen or Disability Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE/DRIE)
Download Form (35k)
Senior Citizen or Disability Rent Increase Exemption Adjustment to Abatement (SCRIE/DRIE)
Download Form (29k)
Disability Rent Increase Exemption Renewal / Recertification (DRIE)
Download Form (32k)
Application for Appeal of the Disability Rent Increase Exemption Determination (DRIE)
(by tenant or property owner)
Download Form (86k)
Disability Rent Increase Exemption (DRIE) FAQs
(Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions)
Download English Brochure (37k)
Download Chinese-Language Version (501k)
Download Russian-Language Version (307k)
Download Spanish-Language Version (268k)
A Tenant's Guide to DRIE
(The Disability Rent Increase Exemption)
Download Brochure (307k)
A Landlord's Guide to DRIE
(The Disability Rent Increase Exemption)
Download Brochure (327k)
Property Refund Request
Download Form (39k)
Request a refund online
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