Mayor Zohran Mamdani has deviated from his original plan for a rent freeze this year in an effort to support some of the most distressed rent-stabilized landlords.
The U-turn marks a sharp departure from the hardline stance he took during his mayoral campaign, when a citywide rent freeze across roughly one million rent-regulated apartments for the duration of his term was a signature promise.
Instead, eligible apartment owners will be allowed to impose a one-time rent increase on certain vacant units, even if a rent freeze is enacted later this year…