The Legal Rent-Increase Advisor
What the market is asking for a unit like yours, capped by the law that applies to that unit — the NYC Rent Guidelines Board orders and the Good Cause standard — with the law cited, and no number where the law is not verified.
Every expiring lease in Renewals carries a rent-increase advisor. It takes what similar homes nearby are advertised at and caps it by the law that applies to that apartment, then tells you the notice the increase needs. It is on the website, the iPhone and Android, and a connected assistant can read it too.
Tell Seayora what the apartment is
Nothing in a lease or a listing says whether an apartment is rent stabilized, and a New York City building can have stabilized and free-market apartments side by side. So the advisor asks once, per apartment, and until you answer it shows both possible answers rather than guessing one.
- Rent stabilized — Registered with New York State HCR and renewed under the Rent Guidelines Board orders.
- Market rate (not rent regulated) — A free-market apartment. In New York City, Good Cause Eviction may still apply.
- Rent controlled — A pre-1971 tenancy under DHCR's Maximum Base Rent program.
- Other regulated or income-restricted — HPD, HUD, Mitchell-Lama, an affordability agreement or similar.
Rent-stabilized apartments in New York City
A stabilized renewal is capped by the Rent Guidelines Board order for the date the NEW lease starts, not the date you send the offer. The advisor applies the order to the rent the tenant pays today and rounds the ceiling down to the cent. These are the orders it holds:
| Order | Leases starting | One-year renewal | Two-year renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Order #58 | October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027 | 0% | 0% |
| Order #57 | October 1, 2025 – September 30, 2026 | 3% | 4.5% |
| Order #56 | October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025 | 2.75% | 5.25% |
| Order #55 | October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2024 | 3% | 2.75% then 3.2% |
If you charge less than the legal regulated rent registered with HCR (a preferential rent), the increase applies to the rent the tenant actually pays. That has been the law since 2019, and the advisor says so when you have recorded a legal regulated rent above the current one.
For a lease starting after the last order on file, the advisor shows no number. The Board votes each June for leases starting the following October 1.
Free-market apartments in New York City — Good Cause
New York's Good Cause Eviction Law treats an increase above the local rent standard as presumptively unreasonable — 8.38% in New York City as of May 4, 2026. That is not a hard cap: a landlord may show a court why a larger increase is needed. The advisor caps its suggestion there anyway, because a renewal priced above it is the one most likely to end in a dispute.
The law presumes every New York City apartment is covered. It does not cover an apartment renting above 245% of HUD's fair market rent — $6,196 for a studio, $6,505 for a one-bedroom, $7,130 for a two-bedroom, $8,928 for a three-bedroom and $9,700 for a four-bedroom — and the advisor checks that itself. The other exemptions it cannot see, so you choose one when you mark an apartment exempt:
- Small landlord (owns 10 or fewer units)
- Owner lives in the building and it has 10 or fewer units
- Certificate of occupancy issued after January 1, 2009
- An individually owned condo or co-op unit
- Income-restricted housing
- Housing provided with a job
- The tenant is a subtenant
- Another exemption in the law
What each answer means
| The advisor says | What it means |
|---|---|
| Legal ceiling | A verified order sets the maximum. In New York City this is the Rent Guidelines Board order for the date the new lease starts. |
| Good Cause standard | An increase above the local rent standard is presumptively unreasonable. It is not forbidden: the landlord may show a court why a larger one is needed. |
| No legal limit | No rent-increase law applies to this apartment, so the suggestion follows the market. |
| Status needed | The owner has not said whether the apartment is rent stabilized. Both possible answers are shown and no rent is suggested. |
| Not verified | A law applies here that Seayora has not verified, so no number is shown. |
| None on file | Seayora holds no rent-increase rule for this place. That is not the same as there being none, so no rent is suggested. |
Outside New York City
Where Seayora knows a rent-increase law exists but has not verified its current figure, the advisor names the law and shows no number. Where it holds no rule at all it says "none on file", which is not the same as there being no law, and suggests nothing. These are the laws it names today without a figure:
| Where | Law | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| NYC | NYC rent control — Maximum Base Rent program | NYC Admin. Code § 26-401 et seq.; DHCR Maximum Base Rent orders |
| CA | California Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) | Cal. Civ. Code § 1947.12 |
| OR | Oregon statewide rent-increase limit | Or. Rev. Stat. § 90.323 and § 90.600 |
| WA | Washington statewide rent-increase limit | Wash. Rev. Code ch. 59.18 (2025 c 215) |
| NJ | New Jersey municipal rent control | N.J.S.A. 2A:42-84.1 et seq. and municipal rent-control ordinances |
| DC | District of Columbia Rent Stabilization Program | D.C. Code § 42-3502.08 |
Checking an offer
While you write a renewal offer, the advisor checks the rent you type against the ceiling and the notice that increase needs — under New York's Real Property Law § 226-c an increase of 5% or more needs 30, 60 or 90 days depending on how long the tenant has lived there. "Use this rent" puts the suggestion in the offer; you still decide.
This is guidance, not legal advice
Guidance from the published orders and laws Seayora has on file, checked on the date shown — not legal advice. Further adjustments the law allows (such as major capital improvement increases) are not included. Confirm with a lawyer or the agency before serving a renewal.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the advisor show no number for my apartment?
Either it does not yet know whether the apartment is rent stabilized — tell it, and the number appears — or the law that applies there is one Seayora has not verified. In that case it names the law instead of guessing a figure.
Is the Good Cause figure a legal maximum?
No. An increase above the local rent standard is presumptively unreasonable, which a landlord can rebut in court. The advisor caps its suggestion there because that is where disputes start.
Does it include major capital improvement increases?
No. Increases the law allows on top of the guidelines, such as approved improvement increases, are not modelled. A stabilized offer above the guideline is flagged so you can check it has another legal basis.
Does the tenant see this?
No. The tenant’s offer shows the market figure and the notice basis. The regulation you record and any exemption reason are yours.
Related guides
Related features and guides
- Lease Renewals & Amendments — Documentation. Renewing an expiring lease, the last day you can lawfully serve notice, what the local market is asking, and what a served notice freezes.
- Rent Increases & Notices — Documentation. How to communicate a rent increase or other lease notice to a tenant, with a documented delivery record.
- Creating & E-Signing Leases — Documentation. How to build a lease, send it for electronic signature, and rely on the audit trail under ESIGN and UETA.
- Lease Renewals & Amendments — Feature. Handle renewals, rent increases, and amendments against the original lease, with the right notices and a clean signed record of every change.
- Compliance Alerts & Required Filings — Feature. Seayora watches your properties for new violations and works out which recurring filings each building owes, turns both into a dated checklist, and emails you when something new appears. Live violation data for New York City; rule-based filing obligations across the NYC metro.
- Automated Late Fees — Feature. Set your grace period and late fee structure once — flat or percentage — and Seayora calculates and applies it automatically, with no uncomfortable conversations.