Endorse a Rent Rollback

Adopted by the Joint Council June 9, 2026

WHEREAS, many ALAA members represent, advocate for, and organize tenants across New York City, and are tenants ourselves;

WHEREAS, real wages decreased 0.4% in NYC, while inflation in NYC increased 4%;

WHEREAS, 62% of all New Yorkers, including 75% of Bronx residents, cannot afford the true cost of living in NYC;

WHEREAS, 114,000 New Yorkers have moved out of the city because it’s too unaffordable, with 73% of them citing housing costs as the number one reason;

WHEREAS, low- and middle-income tenants are crushed not only by rent increases, but also by inflation and federal cuts;

WHEREAS, during Mayor Adams’ administration, the Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) raised rents for rent-stabilized tenants by a total of 12%;

WHEREAS, landlords’ profits increased 6% last year, 12% the year before, and 10% the year prior (for a total of 31%, compounded);

WHEREAS, the RGB’s increases since 1990 were over 30% higher than what would have been required to maintain inflation-adjusted profits;

WHEREAS, several programs already exist to support landlords, including hardship increases, Unlocking Doors, and the recently created insurance reduction program;

WHEREAS, the 2025 RGB mortgage survey report found that building sales prices with 100% rent-stabilized units went up 20.4%, and in buildings with at least some rent-stabilized units, it went up by 10.5%;

WHEREAS, a rent rollback would be a correction to historic and current overcompensation for landlords;

WHEREAS, landlords say that they need rent increases to maintain the buildings, but tenants’ homes get worse every year despite rent increases;

WHEREAS, 65% of rent-stabilized tenants did not see any improvements in their homes, even though they faced rent increases;

WHEREAS, during the blizzard in early 2026, HPD received over 30,000 complaints about lack of heat and hot water;

WHEREAS, tenants are overpaying for the deplorable conditions they receive;

WHEREAS, 65 organizations and tenant associations have signed onto a letter calling on the  RGB to roll back the rent and commission a study on landlord overcompensation;

WHEREAS, ALAA’s Right To Counsel Workers Council voted unanimously in favor of endorsing a rent rollback;

WHEREAS, three members of the RGB (Adán Soltren from the Legal Aid Society, Sagar Sharma from Legal Services NYC, and Brandon Mancilla, UAW Region 9A Director) voted in favor of a range that included a rent rollback at the preliminary vote on May 7;

WHEREAS, although the final range did not include a rent rollback, the RGB has the legal authority to revote, as it did in 2025;

WHEREAS, tenants must start advocating for a rent rollback now to lay the groundwork for winning it in the future;

WHEREAS, the RGB will be holding two public hearings between now and June 16, and its final vote on June 25;

WHEREAS, the rent rollback campaign, bottomlined by the Rent Justice Coalition, meets on the second and last Tuesday of every month, from 7 to 8:30 pm, on Zoom;

THEREFORE, be it resolved that ALAA:

1. Sign onto the rent rollback demand letter;

2. Organize a delegation of ALAA members to testify in support of a rent rollback at the upcoming hearings and attend the final vote;

3. Send at least two delegates to attend each rent rollback campaign meeting.