Report snapshot
$4,834
Median net rent · Citywide
0.80
Open violations per unit · Citywide
12.3%
Renewals above Good Cause threshold
3.68
Tenant rating · Citywide
Three terms, used throughout
Gross rent
The advertised asking rent, before any concession is applied.
Concession
A discount on the gross rent, usually granted as “free months.”
Net-effective rent
The monthly rent after applying the concession over the full term of the lease.
Every rent figure in this report is net-effective.
Market landscape · What renters pay
Citywide median net rent up 7.2% since October 2025
The citywide median net rent in October 2026 listings was $4,834 — up 3.2% from September 2026 and up 7.2% from October 2025.
The Bronx saw the steepest increases at +31.0%, while Brooklyn saw the smallest at +5.2%.
Median net-effective rents (after advertised concessions) across studio–3BR listings.
Concessions
October concession rate reached 23.0% citywide; Queens topped the list at 40.2%.
Citywide, 23.0% of October 2026 listings came with a concession — 18.9% a month earlier, a +4.1pp move.
Concessions were most common in Queens (40.2% of listings) and rarest in The Bronx (13.5%).
$487
Typical concession · Monthly
The median concession among October 2026 units offering one — about $5,844 across an annual lease
~1.1 mo
Free-rent equivalent · Citywide
What the typical concession is worth in free rent on a 12-month lease
~2.0 mo
Free-rent equivalent · The Bronx
The largest concessions of any borough
Good Cause buildings
The same listings look different when sorted by Good Cause coverage rather than by borough. In Good Cause buildings, just 11.0% of October 2026 listings advertised a concession, and where one appeared it was typically worth $351 a month. Outside Good Cause coverage, 29.9% of listings came with a concession.
2.7×
Likelier to carry a concession
Listings in buildings without Good Cause protection were about three times likelier to advertise a concession (29.9% vs 11.0%)
47%
Higher, when offered
Concessions in buildings without Good Cause protection were 47% higher than those in protected buildings ($517 vs $351 a month)
| October 2026 | Good Cause buildings | All other listings |
|---|---|---|
| Listings with a concession | 11.0% | 29.9% |
| Typical concession, when offered | $351 | $517 |
| Median net rent | $4,613 | $4,921 |
Renter sentiment
Manhattan rated highest at 3.86, The Bronx lowest at 2.83
Owner responsiveness ranks last in 4 of 5 boroughs
3.68
Overall rating · Citywide
Average across eight rated categories, from October 2026’s published renter reviews
3.20
Owner responsiveness
Renters’ lowest-scoring category citywide
62.1%
Would recommend their building
About two in three October 2026 reviewers approve of their landlord
| Rank | Neighborhood | Rating · October 2026 | Rating · October 2025 | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Financial District | 4.50 | 3.97 | ↑ 6 |
| 2 | Downtown Brooklyn | 4.12 | 4.30 | — |
| 3 | East Village | 4.11 | 3.53 | ↑ 13 |
| 4 | Williamsburg | 4.04 | 3.54 | ↑ 10 |
| 5 | Hell’s Kitchen | 3.97 | 3.58 | ↑ 8 |
Overall rating from October reviewers, and each neighborhood’s standing a year earlier.
- Pest control — 5,662 new violations, up 2.8% from October 2025.
- Heat & hot water — 2,250 new violations, up 39.1% from October 2025.
- Garbage management — 418 new violations, up 0.5% from October 2025.
Renewals
In October 2026, 12.3% of market-rate lease renewals were for increases above 8.79% (the Good Cause standard).
Renewing under the rules
Our analysis found that most tenants subject to Good Cause Eviction and Rent Stabilization received compliant lease renewals. However, some still reported rent increases exceeding permitted limits.
85%
Covered renewals under the standard
Share of October 2026 renewals in Good Cause buildings below the 8.79%/yr allowable increase
95%
Stabilized renewals under 5% / year
Share of October 2026 stabilized renewals with an increase below 5%
Building conditions & violations
Three in four open violations have gone unresolved for over a year
75.2% of open violations have gone unresolved for over a year, up 0.6 points year over year.
New York City buildings carried 0.80 open housing violations for every apartment in October 2026 — up 2.2% from October 2025, and +1.2% on September 2026.
The open-violation backlog is up 3.9% year-over-year.
0.80
Open violations per unit · Citywide
Weighted open violations per unit citywide — up from 0.78 in October 2025, up 1.2% from September
75.2%
Open violations over a year old
Share of all violations still open at the end of October 2026 that had gone unclosed for at least a year — up 0.6 points year over year
Open violations per unit, by borough
| Borough | October 2026 | YoY | MoM |
|---|---|---|---|
| NYC (Citywide) | 0.80 | +2.2% | +1.2% |
| The Bronx | 1.12 | +3.4% | +1.7% |
| Brooklyn | 1.00 | +3.5% | +1.1% |
| Staten Island | 0.67 | +6.0% | +2.4% |
| Queens | 0.56 | -2.0% | +0.9% |
| Manhattan | 0.53 | +0.6% | +0.7% |