Renting / Renew or move
Renew your lease or move?
Put your renewal offer next to the apartments you could move to. Each choice is costed over the same months, with free months spread over the lease, your moving costs added, and the new deposit shown as cash you get back rather than money spent.
Available now, no account neededExample figures A made-up renewal offer and two made-up apartments. Replace them with your own.
Over 12 months, moving to Apartment A costs least: $48,900, $2,700 less than renewing, moving costs included.
The offer is 7.5% above your current rent. For an increase of 5% or more, your landlord must give you at least 30, 60 or 90 days' written notice, depending on how long you've lived there or your lease term. NY Real Property Law §226-c: notice of a rent increase or non-renewal · revision of 22 Aug 2025, checked 22 Oct 2026
| Choice | Rent over 12 months | Moving costs | Total | A month, on average | Cash up front |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renew$4,300 gross, 12-month lease | $51,600 | None | $51,600 | $4,300 | None extra |
| Apartment ACosts least$4,225 gross, 1 free on 13 months ($3,900 net effective) | $46,800 | $2,100 | $48,900 | $4,075 | $10,550 |
| Apartment B$4,100 gross, 12-month lease | $49,200 | $2,100 | $51,300 | $4,275 | $10,300 |
- Apartment A: moving becomes the cheaper choice after 6 months. You'd need $10,550 up front, $4,225 of it a deposit that should come back.
- Apartment B: moving becomes the cheaper choice after 11 months. You'd need $10,300 up front, $4,100 of it a deposit that should come back.
Rent over the period spreads any free months across each lease, as landlords quote net effective rent. If the period runs past a lease, we assume its gross rent carries on with no more free months. Utilities and monthly fees are left out; add them if they differ.
Before you decide
- Notice of a big increase. If your landlord offers a renewal at 5% or more above your current rent, or won't renew, they must give you written notice: at least 30 days' notice if you've lived there under a year, 60 days for one to two years, and 90 days for more than two years or a lease of two years or more. If they give it late, your tenancy continues on the current terms until the full notice period has run from the day they gave it. NY Real Property Law §226-c: notice of a rent increase or non-renewal · revision of 22 Aug 2025, checked 22 Oct 2026
- Rent-stabilised apartments. Under Rent Guidelines Board Order #58, leases starting between 1 October 2026 and 30 September 2027 have a 0% increase for one- and two-year leases. NYC Rent Guidelines Board: Order #58, leases from 1 October 2026 · checked 21 Oct 2026 How to check if you're stabilised, and what it means for a renewal.
- Good Cause Eviction. In homes it covers, not renewing a lease needs a good cause reason, and an increase above the local rent standard, currently 8.38% in New York City, could be found unreasonable by a court. Many homes aren't covered, including rent-stabilised apartments, condos and co-ops, small landlords' buildings and recent construction. NYC HPD: Good Cause Eviction · checked 22 Oct 2026 Is your apartment covered by Good Cause? Every lease and renewal must come with a notice saying whether the home is covered and, if not, why. NY Real Property Law §231-c: Good Cause notice with every lease and renewal · revision of 22 Aug 2025, checked 22 Oct 2026
- Broker's fees. Under the FARE Act, a broker the landlord hires can't charge you. Enter a fee only if you hire your own broker. NYC DCWP: FARE Act · checked 21 Oct 2026
- Remember the date. The rental tracker puts a renewal decision on your list 90 days before your lease ends, and can hold the apartments you're comparing.
Estimates from the figures you enter; information, not legal advice. For a dispute about a renewal, a stabilised rent or Good Cause, contact HCR or a tenant organisation.