The New York City Rent Guidelines Board has approved a rent freeze for about one million rent-stabilized apartments. This decision fulfills a major campaign promise made by Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

紐約市租金指導委員會已批准凍結約一百萬戶穩定租金公寓的租金。此決定兌現了市長 Zohran Mamdani 選戰時的一項重要承諾。

The Rent Guidelines Board (RGB), which is appointed by the mayor, voted 7-1 to stop rent increases for both one-year and two-year leases from October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027. This move affects roughly 40% of the city's rental properties and about two million residents. To ensure this affordability plan was successful, Mayor Mamdani appointed six board members shortly after taking office.

由市長任命的租金指導委員會 (RGB) 以 7 比 1 投票通過，自 2026 年 10 月 1 日至 2027 年 9 月 30 日，一年期與兩年期租約均停止調漲租金。此舉影響全市約 40% 的出租物業及約兩百萬名居民。為了確保這項可負擔方案成功，Mamdani 市長在就職後不久便任命了六名委員會成員。

However, opinions on this decision are divided. The Mayor's office and the Legal Aid Society emphasized that this is a necessary step to help working-class tenants who are struggling with the high cost of living. On the other hand, real estate associations argued that the freeze ignores a 5.3% increase in operating costs. They claim that a lack of revenue will make it difficult to maintain buildings and might even increase the housing shortage. Furthermore, some economists suggest that this could cause prices to rise for non-stabilized, market-rate housing.

然而，各界對此決定的看法分歧。市長辦公室與法律援助協會強調，對於在高生活成本中掙扎的工人階級租戶而言，這是必要的一步。另一方面，房地產協會則認為凍結租金忽略了 5.3% 的營運成本增長。他們聲稱收入不足將使建築物維護困難，甚至可能加劇住房短缺。此外，部分經濟學家建議，這可能會導致非穩定、按市場價格計算的住房價格上漲。

There have also been concerns about the fairness of the process. Christina Smyth, a representative for landlords, resigned from the board and asserted that the result was decided by the mayor before the board even met. RGB Chair Chantella Mitchell denied this, stating that the board remained independent. To solve the deeper causes of the housing crisis, the administration has introduced the 'Block by Block' plan, which aims to build or save 400,000 affordable homes over the next ten years.

同時，也有人對程序的公平性表示擔憂。代表房東的 Christina Smyth 辭去委員會職務，並堅稱在委員會開會前，結果就已被市長決定。RGB 主席 Chantella Mitchell 否認了這一點，表示委員會保持獨立。為了解決住房危機的深層原因，市政府推出了「逐區發展」(Block by Block) 計劃，目標在未來十年內興建或保留 40 萬戶可負擔住房。

The rent freeze is now official, although it may face legal challenges and continued criticism regarding its effect on housing quality and market stability.

租金凍結現已正式生效，儘管可能會面臨法律挑戰，以及針對其對住房品質與市場穩定性影響的持續批評。