In June 2026, the Rent Guidelines Board voted to freeze rents at 0% for the city's roughly one million rent-stabilized apartments. It made headlines because it was historic — the first-ever 0% guideline on both one-year and two-year leases. But it comes with an expiration date: it covers renewal leases beginning between October 1, 2026 and September 30, 2027, and next year's board can set whatever number it wants.
There is another kind of rent freeze in New York City that most tenants don't know about — and it doesn't expire after a year. For seniors and people with disabilities who qualify, two city programs can lock your rent in place for as long as you remain eligible, no matter what the Rent Guidelines Board does each June. They are called SCRIE and DRIE, and tens of thousands of eligible New Yorkers aren't using them.
At a glance
- The RGB rent freeze is temporary (one lease cycle). SCRIE and DRIE are ongoing rent freezes tied to the tenant, not the year.
- SCRIE = Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (age 62+). DRIE = Disability Rent Increase Exemption (age 18+ with a qualifying disability benefit).
- Both require household income of $50,000 or less and rent exceeding one-third of monthly income, in a rent-regulated apartment.
- The tenant pays a frozen amount; the city reimburses the landlord for the difference through a property tax credit.
- Free to apply, no landlord permission needed, no tax filing required.
In this guide
- The difference between the two "rent freezes"
- Who qualifies
- What "frozen" actually means
- Two 2026 changes worth knowing
- The gap nobody talks about
- How to apply
- Frequently asked questions
The difference between the two "rent freezes"
The confusion is understandable, because both get called a "rent freeze," but they work completely differently.
The Rent Guidelines Board freeze is a market-wide, temporary decision. Every June, the board sets the maximum legal increase for all rent-stabilized apartments for the coming lease cycle. This year it set that number at 0% — a freeze — but it applies to everyone in stabilized housing for one cycle only, and the board revisits the number annually. As we covered in our breakdown of the June 2026 vote, a 0% year is rare; the board has only done it a handful of times.
SCRIE and DRIE are individual and ongoing. They don't depend on what the board decides each year. If you qualify and enroll, your rent is frozen at your current level, and it stays frozen — even as the board approves increases in future years for everyone else. The legal rent on your apartment keeps rising on paper, but your obligation doesn't. The city covers the gap by giving your landlord a property tax credit equal to the increase you're exempted from.
| Feature | RGB Freeze | SCRIE / DRIE |
|---|---|---|
| Applies to | All rent-stabilized tenants | Individual eligible tenants |
| Duration | One lease cycle | As long as you remain eligible |
| Who covers the increase | N/A (no increase that year) | The city, via a property tax credit to the landlord |
| Renews via | Annual RGB vote | Periodic benefit renewal by the tenant |
| Depends on income/age | No | Yes |
Put simply: the RGB freeze is a good year. SCRIE and DRIE are an ongoing shield for the people who need it most.
Who qualifies
You may be worth checking further if:
- you're 62 or older (SCRIE), or receive a qualifying disability benefit (DRIE);
- your apartment is rent-stabilized, rent-controlled, or otherwise rent-regulated;
- your combined household income is around $50,000 or less;
- rent takes more than one-third of your monthly income.
If those roughly describe you, the detail below is worth reading closely. Both programs share the same core financial requirements, and differ only on who they're for.
SCRIE (for seniors):
- You are 62 or older and the tenant of record.
- Combined household income is $50,000 or less per year (all sources, including Social Security and pensions).
- You spend more than one-third of your monthly income on rent.
- Your apartment is rent-stabilized, rent-controlled, or a rent-regulated hotel/SRO. Certain Mitchell-Lama and HDFC co-op apartments qualify (through HPD rather than the Department of Finance).
DRIE (for people with disabilities):
- You are 18 or older and receive a qualifying disability benefit — SSI, SSDI, VA disability compensation or pension, or certain others.
- The same $50,000 income cap and one-third-of-income rent threshold apply.
Two categories are specifically not eligible: NYCHA public housing (rent is already income-capped there) and Section 8 voucher apartments. The programs are designed for the rent-regulated private market.
What "frozen" actually means
This is the part tenants most often misunderstand: SCRIE and DRIE do not lower your rent. They freeze it. The Department of Finance sets your frozen rent at either your prior rent amount or one-third of your monthly income, whichever is greater, and future legal increases — Rent Guidelines Board adjustments, and other legal surcharges — no longer raise what you owe. Your landlord still receives the full legal rent; the difference just comes from the city instead of from you.
The long-run effect is significant. A rent that would compound upward year after year through RGB increases instead stays flat for as long as you qualify. Over a decade, that can be the difference between your current rent and a legal rent hundreds of dollars higher each month.
Two 2026 changes worth knowing
The rules aren't frozen even if your rent is. Two developments this year are worth watching:
First, a provision in state law taking effect June 30, 2026 ties the DRIE income cap to federal SSI eligibility thresholds rather than the flat $50,000 figure — a change that could adjust who qualifies for the disability program going forward. If you were previously told your income was too high for DRIE, it may be worth rechecking under the new rule.
Second, state lawmakers have been discussing raising the SCRIE and DRIE income limit to $75,000. That has not passed as of this writing, but if it does, a substantially larger group of seniors and disabled tenants would become eligible. It's worth checking the current threshold before assuming you earn too much.
The gap nobody talks about
The most striking thing about these programs is how many eligible people don't use them. In the last year full data was available, roughly 71,000 New Yorkers had frozen their rent through SCRIE and DRIE — out of an estimated 135,000 households that were eligible. That's nearly half of qualifying tenants leaving a permanent rent freeze on the table.
(For the broader picture of why New York has built out these tenant protections — the affordability pressures driving them — see our look at the numbers behind the 2026 rent freeze.)
The reasons are consistent: people assume their income is too high (the cap is combined household income, and the calculation has nuances), assume their building doesn't qualify (more apartments are rent-stabilized than tenants realize — older buildings with six or more units often are), or get stuck on the paperwork.
That first-and-second point is where it pays to actually check rather than assume. If you're not certain whether your apartment is rent-stabilized — the threshold requirement for both programs — our guide on how to check if your apartment is rent-stabilized walks through the paperwork and the signals. Confirming your status is the first step; it determines whether either program is even open to you.
How to apply
Applications go through the NYC Department of Finance (except SCRIE for HDFC and Mitchell-Lama residents, which goes through HPD). The city recommends applying online, which it processes faster than paper. You'll need proof of age or disability, proof of income for every household member, and copies of your current and prior lease — both signed by you and your landlord, which is a common sticking point.
Free one-on-one help is available: the NYC Department for the Aging offers SCRIE application assistance through borough offices and senior centers, and the Mayor's Public Engagement Unit runs a rent freeze team you can reach for help with either program. If your income, household, or lease changes during your benefit period, you're required to report it, and you'll need to renew periodically — the Department of Finance mails a renewal notice before your benefit expires, and missing the deadline can cause the freeze to lapse.
The bottom line: the RGB freeze this year is a welcome break for stabilized tenants, but it's a break with a clock on it. For seniors and people with disabilities who qualify, SCRIE and DRIE are the version that doesn't expire — and if the numbers above are any guide, there's a real chance you or someone in your building qualifies and doesn't know it.
SCRIE and DRIE are one part of the 2026 rent-stabilization picture; our NYC rent stabilization resource center gathers the freeze, the data, and how to confirm your status.
Frequently asked questions
What is DRIE? DRIE is the Disability Rent Increase Exemption — a New York City program that freezes an eligible disabled tenant's rent so future legal increases no longer raise what they pay. To qualify you must be 18 or older, receive a qualifying disability benefit (such as SSI, SSDI, or VA disability), have combined household income of $50,000 or less, spend more than one-third of your monthly income on rent, and live in a rent-regulated apartment. It is the disability counterpart to SCRIE, which serves seniors 62 and older. The city reimburses your landlord for the frozen increase through a property-tax credit, so no landlord permission is needed. (NYC Department of Finance, Rent Freeze Program.)
Is the NYC rent freeze still in effect in 2026? It depends which "freeze" you mean. The Rent Guidelines Board's historic 0% freeze applies to rent-stabilized renewal leases beginning between October 1, 2026 and September 30, 2027; next June the board sets a new number, so that one has a clock on it. SCRIE and DRIE — the freezes for eligible seniors and people with disabilities — are separate and ongoing: once you enroll, your rent stays frozen for as long as you remain eligible, no matter what the board votes each year.
What's the difference between SCRIE and DRIE? They are the same program with two doors. SCRIE (Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption) is for tenants 62 or older. DRIE (Disability Rent Increase Exemption) is for tenants 18 or older who receive a qualifying disability benefit (SSI, SSDI, VA disability, and certain others). Everything else is identical: both require combined household income of $50,000 or less, rent exceeding one-third of monthly income, and a rent-regulated apartment; both freeze your rent and reimburse the landlord through a property-tax credit. The only real difference is whether you qualify by age or by disability.
Does SCRIE or DRIE only apply to rent-stabilized apartments? No. Rent stabilization is the most common qualifying situation, but the programs also cover rent-controlled apartments, rent-regulated hotels and single-room-occupancy units, and certain Mitchell-Lama, Limited-Dividend, Redevelopment-Company, and HDFC co-op apartments (seniors in Mitchell-Lama or HDFC housing apply for SCRIE through HPD rather than the Department of Finance). What is excluded is NYCHA public housing, where rent is already income-based, and Section 8 voucher apartments. If you are not sure your apartment is rent-regulated, confirm that first — how to check if your apartment is rent-stabilized.
What happens to SCRIE or DRIE when the tenant dies? The benefit does not transfer automatically. When the benefit-holder dies, the Department of Finance revokes the freeze effective the first of the following month — but an eligible household member can keep it through a Benefit Takeover. A surviving spouse or registered domestic partner already listed on the most recent application generally does not need to reapply (they submit proof of the marriage or partnership); other eligible household members file a Benefit Takeover Application, generally within six months of the death or 90 days of Finance's revocation notice, whichever is later. In most approved transfers the frozen rent stays the same. Because the apartment is usually rent-regulated, this often runs alongside rent-stabilized succession rights, which govern who can take over the lease itself.
Can my landlord refuse to accept SCRIE or DRIE? No. The benefit is administered by the city, not negotiated with your landlord, so it isn't something they can accept or reject. Once you're approved, the Department of Finance notifies your landlord and reimburses them for the exempted increase through a property tax credit. That's the key design: your landlord still receives the full legal rent — the difference simply comes from the city instead of from you — so they don't lose money and have no standing to refuse. You don't need landlord permission to apply, either. The one place a landlord's signature matters is on your current and prior lease, which the application requires.
Does SCRIE or DRIE lower my rent? No — this is the most common misunderstanding. SCRIE and DRIE freeze your rent; they do not reduce it. The Department of Finance sets your "frozen" amount at either your prior rent or one-third of your monthly income, whichever is greater, and from then on future legal increases — Rent Guidelines Board adjustments and other legal surcharges — no longer raise what you owe. Your landlord still receives the full legal rent, with the city covering the gap. The long-run effect is large: a rent that would otherwise compound upward year after year instead stays flat for as long as you remain eligible.
I live in a Mitchell-Lama or HDFC apartment — can I still apply? In many cases yes, but through a different door depending on the program. Seniors in HDFC or Mitchell-Lama housing apply for SCRIE through HPD rather than the Department of Finance. For DRIE, Mitchell-Lama and HDFC residents can generally apply through the Department of Finance directly. This split trips people up, so it's worth confirming the right agency for your building type on the current program pages before you file. The underlying eligibility — age or disability, the income cap, and the rent-to-income threshold — is the same; only the intake agency differs for these specific building types.
Can I lose the benefit once I have it? Yes. The freeze lasts only as long as you remain eligible, and you must renew it periodically. If your income rises above the limit, your household composition changes, or you miss a renewal deadline, the benefit can lapse — and a lapse can mean your landlord bills you for the increases you'd previously been exempt from. The Department of Finance mails a renewal notice before your benefit expires, so watch your mail and respond on time. You're also required to report changes in income, household, or your lease during the benefit period; keeping the program updated is what keeps the freeze intact.
Can I apply after I've already signed a renewal lease? You can, but it's best not to wait. The freeze generally takes effect going forward rather than retroactively, so every month you delay is rent you can't get frozen back. If you think you qualify, applying sooner protects more of your rent. The application requires your current and prior lease, both signed by you and your landlord — a common sticking point, so gather those early. If your income was once considered too high, note that the rules can change: check the current threshold before assuming you earn too much, since the eligibility limits have been under active revision.
What happens if my income changes during the benefit period? You're required to report changes in your income, household composition, or your lease to the program, generally within a set window after the change. Reporting isn't optional paperwork — it's what keeps your benefit calculated correctly and avoids problems when you renew. If your income rises, the change may affect your eligibility or your frozen amount; if it falls, reporting can keep your benefit accurate. Because the freeze depends on ongoing eligibility, the program treats unreported changes as a renewal risk, so it's safest to report promptly rather than wait for the periodic renewal notice from the Department of Finance.
Sources
- NYC Department of Finance — Rent Freeze Program (SCRIE/DRIE) qualifications: https://www.nyc.gov/site/rentfreeze/qualifications/qualifications.page
- NYC Rent Freeze Program — Benefit Takeover (when the benefit-holder dies or moves): https://www.nyc.gov/site/rentfreeze/tools/tools.page
- ACCESS NYC — Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE): https://access.nyc.gov/programs/senior-citizens-rent-increase-exemption-scrie/
Verified against NYC Department of Finance and ACCESS NYC, August 2026. Weverit provides independent, tenant-side research from New York City public records. This article explains public programs and is not legal advice; for eligibility specific to your situation, consult the NYC Department of Finance Rent Freeze Program or a tenant attorney.
