In keeping with his pro-tenant, pro-affordable housing policies, Democratic mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio says that if he's elected, he will push hard for a rent freeze on stabilized apartments. According to the Journal, he also pledged to appoint new pro-tenant members to the Rent Guidelines Board, which convenes every June to vote on rent increases. De Blasio's stance should come as no surprise considering that during this year's circus meeting, he, along with former mayoral hopefuls Christine Quinn and John Liu, advocated for a freeze.
Landlords, obviously, think de Blasio is crazy for this plan. Republican candidate Joe Lhota is against a freeze. He thinks a freeze would be unfair to landlords unless property taxes and utility costs were controlled as well. Both candidates pledged to not raise property taxes, but Lhota also promised to reduce how much the city charges landlords for water and sewage. The next mayor gets to appoint four new members to the nine-person Rent Guidelines Board, but neither candidate has revealed who they would select.
· Rent-Freeze Pledge Chills Landlords [WSJ]
· All Rent Guidelines Board coverage [Curbed]
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