Nassau rent board votes for hikes on regulated apartments

The Nassau County Rent Guidelines Board voted Wednesday night to allow rent increases for rent-regulated apartments.

The board voted 5-2 to allow Nassau landlords to increase rents up to 1.5% on one-year leases and 2.5% on two-year leases beginning Oct 1.

Tenant advocates in the audience at the meeting said they were disappointed the board failed to pass a rent freeze but relieved the hike was not higher.

"I'm always for 0%, but one and a half and two and a half, I think the tenants are going to be happy with that because it's not four and six," Joe Sackman, a tenant advocate and the executive director of the Long Island Progressive Coalition, told Newsday after the meeting.

The board, which includes two landlords, one tenant and five community members, cited the effect of increased inflation on both landlords and tenants as an added financial burden. Landlords pointed to inflation as a reason for a rent increase. The tenant on the board, Rob Rychlowski, and three of the five community members, said inflation is a reason for either avoiding a rent hike entirely, or keeping an increase to a minimum.

The inflation rate in the Long Island area hit 5% in June 2026, up from 3.4% in May 2025, Newsday has reported. The consumer price index, an inflation measure, also increased by 4.6% in the metropolitan area in the last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"Sooner or later these, these people are going to have to decide,’ what are we going to have to do? I'm going to pay my rent, and I'm not going to get my meds, or I'm not going to pay my rent, and I'm going to become homeless and lose my home,’" Sackman said.

Before Wednesday's vote, tenants and landlords had testified before the board at three previous public hearings this month about costs and living conditions, according to meeting agendas.

Jeannetta Alexander, a community member on the board, advocated for a balance that serves both landlords and tenants, some of whom have testified at previous hearings over the years about substandard living conditions.

"I don’t want people living in poor buildings and I have to keep that in consideration," Alexander said during the meeting.

There are 8,140 rent-stabilized units in Nassau County, according to state data. The average monthly rent for rent-regulated apartments in Nassau County was $1,771 in 2025, a 1.26% increase from 2024. 

Rychlowski pushed for a rent freeze during the meeting. He cited recent federal cuts to Medicare and SNAP benefits affecting tenants’ ability to afford basic needs.

Ultimately, Rychlowski voted in favor of the 1.5% and 2.5% increases.

"Even the smallest increase can be damaging to those struggling to survive," Rychlowski said.

Later, he added: "It is not our job to protect the landlord's profits or to enhance them. Our job is to keep the rents affordable." 

Last June, the board voted 5-3 to increase rent 2% for one-year leases and 3% for two-year leases. The board’s second tenant representative resigned after the 2025 vote and has not yet been replaced, according to board chair Garrett Gray, who typically abstains from voting unless there is a tie.

The board’s four other public members voted Wednesday night in favor of this year’s increases, while the two landlord members voted against them. Four proposed increases failed before the final hikes passed.

Landlord member Barbara Eckstein argued during deliberations that even if the property value of landlords’ buildings had increased in the past year, the value of a nonliquid asset is "not going to pay my bills, it doesn't pay for services, supplies, employees, utilities."

David Gallo, one of the public members, said during the meeting that a rent increase was necessary for landlords to address building maintenance issues.

"Costs, they do go up, and the buildings need to be able to address it," Gallo said.

Ian Wilder, executive director of Long Island Housing Services, said any rent increase would need to be below the 5% inflation rate, which would help all parties involved.

"I think a rent increase at or below the rate of inflation would be a better balance if the board feels that the landlords' financial states warrant that increase because inflation is also impacting them and their costs," Wilder said.

Public member Martin Melkonian called on the board to consider who could afford the consequences of inflation.

"Most ordinary folks without property assets are facing growing hardships," Melkonian said. "Disparities are getting greater."