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LEASE RENEWAL PROCESS



As you may already know, tenants in rent stabilized apartments must be offered renewal leases. The lease agreements can be for one or two years, at the tenant’s choice and is at a rate set by the local Rent Guidelines Board.
1. When an owner is generating a lease it must first be signed by the owner and the owner must date the renewal notice. Then the owner must send the renewal lease by certified mail to the tenant within 120 days and not less than 90 days before the current lease expires. (RTP-8 ETPA)
2. Once the renewal offer is made, the tenant has 60 days to choose their lease term (either a term of one year or two years), sign the lease and return it to the owner by certified mail.
3. If the tenant decides not to renew their lease within the 60 day timeframe, the owner can refuse to renew the lease and proceed with eviction proceedings after the expiration of the current lease. (All eviction proceedings must be done through the court system)
4. If the tenant signs the Renewal Lease Form and returns it to the owner, it is the owner’s responsibility to return the fully signed and dated copy to the tenant within 30 days.
5. A renewal lease should go into effect on or after the date it is signed and returned to the tenant but no earlier than the expiration date of the existing lease.

NOTE: Renewal leases must keep the same terms and conditions as the expiring lease unless a change is required to comply with federal or state law regulations. If an owner wishes not to renew a tenant’s lease, the owner must give the tenant written notice of non-renewal within 120 days and not less than 90 days before the current lease expires.

Rent Increase Requests with CVR New York

Step 1: Participating Property Owners must first fill out a Rent Increase Request Form with supporting documentation explaining the reasons for the request (e.g. Lease Renewal).
Step 2: CVR then ensures the unit has passed inspection and is not in abatement, and that the rent increase request is within reasonableness of the fair market rents of the area.
Step 3: Once Approved or Denied CVR then sends written correspondence to the Property Owner stating the decision of the request.
Please be advised unless the lease is signed by both the tenant and landlord we will not grant the rental increase.

Note on Deemed Leases

Effective January 1, 2015, CVR New York no longer accepts deemed leases for Rent Increase Requests for properties covered by the Emergency Tenant Protection Act (ETPA). For properties that fall under ETPA rent regulation, all Rent Increase Requests must include a Rent Increase Request Form attached with the lease renewal signed by both the tenant and the owner for a term of one or two years. If the lease renewal is not signed by both the tenant and the owner, we will not accept the request for a rent increase until both parties sign the lease renewal. If the tenant does not sign the lease renewal, you must provide proof that the lease renewal was sent to the tenant via certified mail.
Please be advised these are revised regulations from the New York State Division of Housing and Community Re­newal (DHCR) and we must comply with these regulations accordingly. DHCR can be contacted at (914) 948-4434 for more information about lease regulations.