Am I eligible?

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The New York City Rent Freeze Program can freeze your rent and protect you from future increases. The Rent Freeze Program includes the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) and the Disability Rent Increase Exemption (DRIE).

Use the Eligibility Tool to find out if you are eligible for the Rent Freeze Program.

Eligibility: Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption

SCRIE eligibility criteria:

  • Age: You must be at least 62 years old.
  • Income: The total combined income of all household members must be $50,000 or less
  • Spending on rent: You must spend more than one-third of your monthly household income on rent.
  • Residency: You must live in the apartment and be named on the lease or rental agreement. The apartment must be rent-controlled, rent-regulated, or rent-stabilized. Certain Battery Park City and former Mitchell Lama properties may also be eligible.

Determine your eligibility with the Eligibility Tool.

If you live in a Housing Development Fund Corporation (HDFC) or Mitchell-Lama apartment, you must contact the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development to apply for SCRIE. For applications and more information, please visit www.nyc.gov/hpd.

Senior Citizens

Use the Eligibility Tool to see if you may qualify.

Eligibility: Disability Rent Increase Exemption

Friends with Disabilities

Use the Elgibility Tool to see if you may qualify.

DRIE eligibility criteria:

  • Age: You must be at least 18 years old.
  • Income: The total combined income of all household members must be $50,000 or less.
  • Spending on rent: You must spend more than one-third of your monthly household income on rent.
  • Residency: You must live in the apartment and be named on the lease or rental agreement. The apartment must be a rent-controlled, rent-regulated, rent-stabilized, Mitchell Lama, Section 236, or Housing Development Fund Corporation apartment. Certain Battery Park City and former Mitchell Lama properties may also be eligible.
  • Disability: You must have been awarded one of the following: Federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI); Federal Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs disability pension or compensation; or disability-related Medicaid, if you have received either SSI or SSDI in the past.

Determine your eligibility with the Eligibility Tool.

Calculating your income

You can learn more about how we calculate your income, including information about Social Security benefits and cost of living adjustments. Additional details about how to calculate your income are available in the various Rent Freeze Program applications, frequently asked questions, and guide

The Department of Finance determines your eligibility for the Rent Freeze Program by calculating the amount that represents one-third of your monthly income and then comparing that to your monthly rent. For example:

Annual income 

Monthly income 

To qualify, your monthly rent must be greater than 

$15,000 

$1,250 

$416.67 

$30,000 

$2,500 

$833.33 

$50,000 

$4,166.67 

$1,388.89 

Calculating your frozen rent

The Department of Finance will freeze your rent at either your prior rent amount or at one-third of your monthly income, whichever is greater. Example:

Current rent 

Previous rent 

1/3 of monthly income 

Frozen rent amount 

$1,000 

$800 

$700 

$800 

Ineligible apartments

The following apartment types are not eligible for the Rent Freeze Program:

  • Public housing units administered by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)
  • Units that are partially or fully paid by a Section 8 voucher
  • Non-rent-regulated apartments (such as apartments in private homes or private cooperative buildings that are not subject to rent regulation)
  • Sublet apartments (even if the apartment is rent-regulated)