State data released July 1 showed the number of vacant rent-stabilized apartments across New York City has increased over the past decade, with about 57,000 units reported vacant in 2025, according to The City Reporter.
The figures, obtained through a Freedom of Information Law request, show the vacancy rate among the city's roughly 1 million rent-stabilized apartments reached about 5.6%, up from 3.7% in 2016.
The data reflects a snapshot of rent-stabilized apartments reported vacant by landlords as of April 1, 2025. Vacancy rates increased in every borough except Manhattan over the nine-year period, while the citywide rate briefly climbed to about 7% in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the news site said.
The records do not identify why individual apartments are vacant or whether they are awaiting repairs, between tenants or newly built and not yet fully leased.
The findings come as New York continues to face housing affordability challenges that affect Brooklyn residents and communities across the city. Although the vacant units represent a small share of the city's overall rent-stabilized housing stock, the data highlights ongoing concerns about maintaining affordable housing while returning empty apartments to the rental market, The City Reporter said.
Rising operating costs, aging buildings and changes under the 2019 Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act have all been identified as factors that may contribute to longer vacancies in some buildings.
Research has found that older buildings with mostly rent-stabilized apartments have experienced declining inflation-adjusted income alongside rising maintenance costs, while mixed-income properties have generally been better positioned to absorb higher expenses.
At the same time, some property owners contend that the cost of renovating long-vacant apartments has outpaced the rent increases permitted under current regulations, the news site said.
