Landlords' Lawyer Seeks City Hall Phones in Rent Freeze Suit
The freeze on roughly 1 million stabilized apartments is already in force while the court weighs discovery.
Landlords challenging New York City’s rent freeze pressed a Manhattan judge on Tuesday, Oct. 13, for broader access to City Hall officials’ phones, while the city’s top lawyer floated putting the landlords’ own attorney under oath, Gothamist reported.
Why it matters
For owners and lenders on rent-stabilized buildings, the question is whether the 0% order survives. The Rent Guidelines Board’s Order #58 covers leases starting Oct. 1, 2026 through Sept. 30, 2027, and the city’s own filing sets both the one-year and two-year increase at 0%. Last year’s Order #57 allowed 3% on one-year leases. Rent rolls underwritten on a guideline bump are now flat for at least a year, and a ruling for the landlords could reopen that. Our earlier report covers the original suit, and more is on our New York hub.
The numbers
The order applies to roughly 1 million stabilized apartments and took effect with leases signed on or after Oct. 1, per Gothamist. The landlords’ attorney, former First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro, told Justice Brendan Lantry that City Hall’s contacts with the board show an influence campaign and that deleted messages might be recoverable, according to Gothamist. Corporation Counsel Steven Banks said the city may seek a hearing to examine Mastro about his own board contacts. Lantry said he has no plans to hear testimony and has not ruled on what more the city must produce. The city’s earlier production, covering 12 other officials plus board staff and appointees, focused mostly on appointments and meeting schedules and did not clearly show attempts to sway votes.
What’s next
Watch for Lantry’s ruling on further discovery and on the landlords’ request to undo the freeze. Nothing is decided: the claims are allegations, and the freeze stays in force until a court says otherwise. We could not confirm the case index number or the named plaintiffs from public pages, so we have not cited them. Owners should keep modeling 0% renewals on stabilized units until a ruling lands.
On the record
Primary record
- Public recordRGB Apartment Order #58 sets a 0% increase for both one-year and two-year stabilized leases commencing on or after Oct. 1, 2026 and on or before Sept. 30, 2027; the prior order, #57, allowed 3% for one-year leases.View the record on rentguidelinesboard.cityofnewyork.us
- NYC Mayor's Office, June 2026Mayor Mamdani's Statement on the Rent Guidelines Board's Final Vote
Also reported by
- Gothamist, Oct. 13, 2026'Insults, bravado': Legal standoff over Mamdani rent freeze grows fiery
- NYC Rent Guidelines Board2026-27 Apartment/Loft Order #58