Report snapshot
$4,858
Median net rent · Citywide
0.78
Open violations per unit · Citywide
12.9%
Renewals above Good Cause threshold
3.72
Tenant rating · Citywide
Three terms, used throughout
Gross rent
The advertised asking rent, before any concession is applied.
Concession
A discount on the gross rent, usually granted as “free months.”
Net-effective rent
The monthly rent after applying the concession over the full term of the lease.
Every rent figure in this report is net-effective.
Market landscape · What renters pay
Citywide median net rent up 2.3% since August 2025
The citywide median net rent for August 2026 listings was $4,858 — flat against July 2026 and up 2.3% from August 2025.
Queens led the year at +12.9%.
Median net-effective rents (after advertised concessions) across studio–3BR listings.
Concessions
August concession rate reached 16.6% citywide; Brooklyn topped the list at 31.5%.
Citywide, 16.6% of August 2026 listings came with a concession — 9.7% a month earlier, a +6.9pp move.
$482
Typical concession · Monthly
The median concession among August 2026 units — about $5,784 across an annual lease
~1.0 mo
Free-rent equivalent · Citywide
What the typical concession is worth in free rent on a 12-month lease
~1.7 mo
Free-rent equivalent · Brooklyn
The largest concessions of any borough
Good Cause buildings
The same listings look different when sorted by Good Cause coverage rather than by borough. In Good Cause buildings, just 8.3% of August 2026 listings advertised a concession vs. 28.7% for non-Good Cause buildings.
3.5×
Likelier to carry a concession
Listings in buildings without Good Cause protection were about three times likelier to advertise a concession (28.7% vs 8.3%)
91%
Higher, when offered
Concessions in buildings without Good Cause protection were 91% higher than those in protected buildings ($452 vs $237 a month)
Renter sentiment
Manhattan rated highest at 3.84, The Bronx lowest at 3.21
Owner responsiveness ranks last in 4 of 5 boroughs
3.72
Overall rating · Citywide
Average across eight rated categories, from August 2026’s published renter reviews
3.25
Owner responsiveness
Renters’ lowest-scoring category citywide
65.2%
Would recommend their building
About two in three August 2026 reviewers approve of their landlord
| Manhattan | Brooklyn | Queens | The Bronx | Staten Island | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 3.84 | 3.59 | 3.64 | 3.21 | 3.24 |
| Owner responsiveness | 3.47 | 2.99 | 3.22 | 2.67 | 3.45 |
| Cleanliness | 3.74 | 3.41 | 3.50 | 3.00 | 2.70 |
| Garbage management | 4.02 | 3.72 | 3.76 | 3.57 | 3.15 |
| Heat | 3.80 | 3.74 | 3.81 | 3.57 | 3.70 |
| Neighbors | 4.15 | 3.93 | 3.80 | 2.86 | 3.15 |
| Noise levels | 3.80 | 3.55 | 3.62 | 3.24 | 3.45 |
| Pest control | 3.67 | 3.45 | 3.49 | 3.00 | 2.80 |
| Water pressure | 4.06 | 3.96 | 3.94 | 3.81 | 3.55 |
| Rank | Neighborhood | Rating · August 2026 | Rating · August 2025 | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Financial District | 4.45 | 4.10 | ↑ 3 |
| 2 | Gramercy Park | 4.26 | 3.18 | ↑ 30 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 4.24 | 3.62 | ↑ 14 |
| 4 | Downtown Brooklyn | 4.13 | 4.15 | ↓ 1 |
| 5 | Hell’s Kitchen | 4.10 | 3.81 | ↑ 6 |
Overall rating from August reviewers, and each neighborhood’s standing a year earlier.
- Pest control — 4,847 new violations, down 11.5% from August 2025.
- Heat & hot water — 577 new violations, down 0.2% from August 2025.
- Garbage management — 494 new violations, down 24.1% from August 2025.
Renewals
In August 2026, 12.9% of market-rate lease renewals were for increases above 8.79% (the Good Cause standard).
Renewing under the rules
Our analysis found that most tenants subject to Good Cause Eviction and Rent Stabilization received compliant lease renewals. However, some renters are still reporting rent increases that exceed permitted limits.
79%
Covered renewals under the standard
Share of August 2026 renewals in Good Cause buildings below the 8.79%/yr allowable increase
94%
Stabilized renewals under 5% / year
94% of stabilized renewals in August were for increases below 5% vs. 82.5% for market-rate renewals.
Building conditions & violations
Three in four open violations have gone unresolved for over a year
76.2% of open violations have gone unresolved for over a year, up 0.6 points year over year, August to August.
New York City buildings carried 0.78 open housing violations for every apartment in August 2026 — up 2.0% from August 2025, and down 0.3% on July 2026.
The open-violation backlog is up 3.9% year-over-year.
0.78
Open violations per unit · Citywide
Weighted open violations per unit citywide — up from 0.76 in August 2025, down 0.3% from July
76.2%
Open violations over a year old
Share of all violations still open at the end of August 2026 that had gone unclosed for at least a year — up 0.6 points year over year, August to August
Open violations per unit, by borough
| Borough | August 2026 | YoY | MoM |
|---|---|---|---|
| NYC (Citywide) | 0.78 | +2.0% | -0.3% |
| The Bronx | 1.08 | +2.5% | -1.1% |
| Brooklyn | 0.98 | +2.3% | -0.1% |
| Staten Island | 0.67 | +8.8% | -1.5% |
| Queens | 0.56 | +0.2% | +0.5% |
| Manhattan | 0.52 | +1.4% | +0.2% |