NYC mayor cant just freeze rents like Zohran Mamdani wants but heres why they have the biggest impact

Freezing the rent requires a big squeeze.Socialist Zohran Mamdani’s promise of freezing rents in New York City if elected mayor hinges on his appointments to a powerful board that could easily buck his wishes — just ask Eric Adams.The nine-person Rent Guidelines Board — all of whom were handpicked by the mayor — voted Monday to hike rents for rent-stabilized home by at least 3%, bucking Hizzoner’s election-year wish for lower increases.Mamdani, whose tenant-pleasing call to freeze those rents helped catapult him to a stunning and record-breaking Democratic mayoral primary victory, quickly blasted his main general election rival Adams for the hike.“In his final year as Mayor,” he tweeted snarkily, “Eric Adams and his hand-picked Rent Guidelines Board delivered one last blow to struggling rent-stabilized tenants.“New Yorkers are desperate for city government that lowers costs instead of raising rents.Change is coming.”But many cash-strapped tenants hoping for a reprieve may be disappointed in Mamdani’s “freeze the rent” pledge, as it would only apply to rent-stabilized homes — which account for roughly 1 million out of 3.7 million total housing units in the Big Apple.When Mamdani announced his then-longshot mayoral bid in October, he put out a video mentioning his rent freeze would be for rent-stabilized tenants — but has largely avoided making that distinction since, a Post review found.“It may not be clear to everyone that he is only speaking about rent-stabilized apartment, younger voters may not realize that,” said Ann Korchak, board president for the Small Property Owners of New York.The mayor appoints all members of the Rent Guidelines Board, which sets potential increases for rent-stabilized homes.The board is required to find a balance between affordability for renters and the needs of landlords, said Mark Willis, a senior policy fellow at NYU’s Furman Center.Rent freezes aren’t unheard of in recent years.Board members fr...