Why Thousands of Rent-Stabilized Apartments Sat Empty

Figures from New York City's Department of Housing Preservation and Development show that more than 88,000 rent-regulated units sat empty in 2021 while the city's housing affordability crisis worsened. That's about 1 in 10 rent-stabilized apartments. Sam Rabiyah, reporter at the nonprofit news organization The City, discusses his reporting.

→ More than 60,000 Rent-Stabilized Apartments Are Now Vacant — and Tenant Advocates Say Landlords Are Holding Them for ‘Ransom’

→ NYC Had 88,830 Vacant Rent-Stabilized Apartments Last Year, City Housing Agency Estimates