The Legal Aid Society is condemning the Rent Guidelines Board for voting to increase rents for residents of stabilized apartments, lofts and hotels. The increase is 3 percent on 1-year leases and 4.5 percent on 2-year leases.

“We strongly condemn the Board’s vote tonight to increase rents for the more than two million working-class New Yorkers living in rent-stabilized units,” reads a statement from Legal Aid. “Tenants across New York City are already facing an unprecedented affordability crisis, and this increase – coupled with the looming cuts to federal housing programs – will have catastrophic consequences for thousands of individuals and families.”

“Tonight’s vote underscores once again that the Board will not meet its stated objective to meaningfully consider whether a rent increase is both necessary for landlords and feasible for tenants,” the statement continues. “According to the Board’s own reports, tenants are struggling to keep up with rising costs while landlords continue to reap enormous profits.”

“This increase betrays the stated purpose of the Board and will undoubtedly lead to increased rates of homelessness, eviction, and displacement among low-income New Yorkers,” the statement concludes.