Income Level Increases for NYC Disability Rent Increase Exemption

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed legislation raising the income eligibility limit for the Disability Rent Increase Exemption (DRIE) program to $50,000 annually.  This new cap represents a significant increase over the previous caps of $20,412 for a household of one and $29,484 for households of more than one.  The legislation is expeced to expand DRIE eligibility to at least 3,000 additional households and simplify eligibility determinations by setting a single income limit, regardless of household size.

In May 2014, similar legislation was passed to increase the income limit for seniors in the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) program to $50,000, and this legislation aligns the DRIE income limit with SCRIE.

The law will will take effect as of July 1, 2014 and will be in effect for those applying to DRIE for two years. The state legislature recently passed legislation authorizing the City Council to pursue this change, and Governor Cuomo signed this legislation into law on July 22, 2014. The bill was approved by the City Council on July 24, 2014.

The DRIE program helps disabled renters stay in their apartments by freezing the tenants rent.  To qualify, tenants must be: 

• At least 18 years old and living in a apartment that is:
  • Regulated by the Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) (i.e. Rent stabilized units, Rent controlled units, Rent regulated hotel units);
  • Owned by a Mitchell-Lama development, Limited Dividend housing company, Redevelopment company or Housing Development Fund Corporation (HDFC) incorporated under New York State’s Private Housing Finance Law;
  • Located in a building where the mortgage was federally insured under Section 213 of the National Housing Act;
• Be named on the lease or rent order or have been granted succession rights to the apartment;
• Have a total annual household income of $50,000 or less;
• Spend more than one-third of their monthly household income on rent; and
• Receive Federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Federal Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs disability pension or compensation, or Disability-Related Medicaid, if the tenant has received either SSI or SSDI in the past

More information can be found on the NYC Department of Finance website.

Contact: Ken Harris, kharris@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8835