New York City’s Rent Freeze Program lets eligible older tenants and tenants with disabilities lock in their rent, so future increases are covered by a property tax credit to the building owner instead of coming out of their pockets. The state has raised the program’s income limit from $50,000 to $75,000, the first increase since 2014, a change Sen. Liz Krueger says will let thousands more New Yorkers enroll in the NYC rent freeze program. The city still has to finish adopting the new limit, which Krueger expects by the end of November. It covers rent-regulated apartments, including Mitchell-Lama and HDFC housing, and Krueger’s office is offering one-on-one application help at a clinic on Tuesday, Nov. 17. Call 212-490-9535 to book a spot. Slots are limited, and there are no walk-ins.
At city agencies the program goes by two names. SCRIE, the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption, is for tenants 62 and older. DRIE, the Disability Rent Increase Exemption, is for tenants 18 and older with a disability. Krueger laid out the change and the clinic in her Nov. 5 monthly update to constituents.
When the $75,000 limit takes effect
Krueger credited years of advocacy by tenants and legislators for the increase, which came in this year’s State Budget. On Oct. 22, the City Council passed a bill opting New York City into the higher limit and making the higher limit retroactive to July 1, 2026. The mayor has 30 days to act on legislation the Council passes, and Krueger wrote that there is every expectation the increase will be in effect in the city before the end of November.
“This will be the first increase to the income eligibility cap for the SCRIE and DRIE programs since 2014, and will make it possible for thousands of additional New Yorkers to be able to enroll.”
Sen. Liz Krueger, Nov. 5 monthly update
“Please note that all materials (and the applications) on the DOF’s website indicate that the income eligibility cap for both programs is still $50,000 since the local law opting NYC into the $75,000 limit is not yet in effect,” Krueger wrote. The city’s Rent Freeze Program qualifications page and its apply or renew page remain the starting points until the forms catch up.
Who qualifies for the NYC rent freeze program
Krueger’s eligibility list already uses the new $75,000 figure. To qualify, you must be at least 62 years old, or at least 18 with a disability. You must be the head of household, as a primary tenant named on the lease or rent order, in a rent-regulated apartment: Rent Stabilized, Rent Controlled, Mitchell-Lama, or HDFC. Combined income for everyone in the household must be $75,000 or less, and you must spend at least one-third of your monthly household income on rent.
DRIE has some additional requirements, listed on the first page of its application. The Department of Finance also has an online tool that estimates whether you are likely eligible and explains how income is counted.
Rents on the island sit inside that same regulated system. The Daily has covered how the Rent Guidelines Board sets lease increases, and the Lighthouse has written about the state as an absent landlord over the housing agencies that shape what residents pay.
Nov. 17 clinic: appointments only
Krueger’s office is hosting the clinic with the NYC Department of Finance on Tuesday, Nov. 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at her district office, 211 E. 43rd Street, Suite #2000, between Second and Third Avenues. Each appointment is a 15-minute, one-on-one meeting with a DOF staff member who will help you complete an initial or renewal SCRIE or DRIE application.
You must live in Senate District 28 and call 212-490-9535 in advance to make an appointment.
One detail matters for Mitchell-Lama and HDFC tenants. DOF processes all DRIE applications, but the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) handles SCRIE for residents of Mitchell-Lama and HDFC apartments. “The DOF staff at the November 17th clinic will not be able to assist with applications processed by HPD,” Krueger wrote. Seniors in that housing who need SCRIE should go to HPD instead.
Can’t make Nov. 17? Call 311 or Krueger’s district office at 212-490-9535. The office email is lkrueger@nysenate.gov.
“Yes. I’m Present.”
It is October 20, 2022, and the Cultural Center Theater at 548 Main Street has again been made to serve as a boardroom, its folding tables carrying the temporary authority of the state. The folding tables are perfect for RIOC. They support anything, question nothing and collapse under pressure. At 5:45 p.m., Chair Designee Alex Valella calls the meeting to order.
