New York Good Cause Eviction Calculator

Under the Good Cause Eviction Law, the maximum “reasonable” rent increase is the lower of CPI + 5% or 10%. Using the current NY-Newark-Jersey City metro CPI-U of 5.1% (May 2026), the formula yields 10.1%, which is capped at the 10% ceiling. Any increase above 10% is presumed unreasonable, and the landlord would bear the burden of proving it is justified by actual operating cost increases.

Good Cause Eviction is mandatory in all five boroughs of New York City. Outside NYC, the law only applies if the local municipality has passed a resolution or local law to opt in. As of July 2026, approximately 19 municipalities have opted in — primarily in the Hudson Valley (Kingston, Newburgh, Beacon, New Paltz), Capital Region (Albany), and Central New York (Syracuse, Ithaca). If your municipality has not opted in, the protections do not apply.

Yes. The Good Cause Eviction Law exempts landlords who own 10 or fewer residential rental units statewide. This is an aggregate count across all properties you own anywhere in New York, not just in one building. If you own 8 units in Brooklyn and 3 in Albany, your total is 11 and the exemption does not apply. The unit count is based on ownership, not management.

Units where the monthly rent exceeds 245% of the HUD Fair Market Rent for the applicable county and unit type are exempt from Good Cause Eviction. For example, in New York City the approximate 245% FMR thresholds are: Studio ~$5,846, 1-Bedroom ~$6,005, 2-Bedroom ~$6,742, and 3-Bedroom ~$8,413. These thresholds are updated annually when HUD publishes new FMR figures. If your rent is above the threshold, Good Cause protections may not apply to your unit.

Under the Good Cause Eviction Law, landlords can only evict or refuse to renew a lease for enumerated reasons: non-payment of rent, material lease violations (after notice and opportunity to cure), creating a nuisance that substantially interferes with neighbors, refusing reasonable access for repairs or inspections, the landlord’s good-faith intent to recover the unit for personal use (self, family member), demolition or major renovation requiring vacancy, or the tenant’s refusal of a reasonable lease renewal. Simply wanting to raise rent beyond the cap or find a new tenant is not a valid ground.

Yes. Buildings that received a certificate of occupancy on or after January 1, 2009 are exempt from Good Cause Eviction for 30 years from the CoO date. This means a building with a 2009 CoO would be exempt until 2039, and a 2015 CoO building until 2045. The purpose is to avoid discouraging new construction. Buildings with CoO dates before January 1, 2009 are not exempt on this basis (though other exemptions may apply).

The Good Cause Eviction Law creates a rebuttable presumption that any increase above the cap is unreasonable. A landlord can attempt to rebut this presumption by presenting evidence that the increase is necessary to cover actual increases in operating expenses — such as property taxes, insurance, utilities, or mandated capital improvements. However, the burden of proof falls on the landlord, and a court will evaluate whether the claimed costs justify the increase. In practice, exceeding the cap without strong documentation is risky.

The Good Cause Eviction Law has a sunset date of June 15, 2034. After that date, the law will expire unless the New York State Legislature passes an extension or makes it permanent. Given the political dynamics in Albany and the growing number of municipalities opting in, extension legislation is widely expected before the sunset. Landlords should plan for the possibility that these protections become permanent.