Mayor Eric Adams said he is not in favor of a complete rent freeze on rent-stabilized apartments. 

“When we start talking about just across the board rent freeze, we need to talk to those small property owners. How does it impact them? Gas doesn’t freeze, electricity doesn’t freeze, insurance doesn’t freeze, the cost to run a building doesn’t freeze," he said on Monday.

The comments come just days before the Rent Guidelines Board is set to take a preliminary vote on whether to increase rents on nearly 1 million apartments. 

It also comes as housing has emerged as a top issue in the mayor’s race, with some candidates promising a complete freeze on rent increases. 

“When you're not mayor, you could be so idealistic, you’re not realistic,” the mayor said. 

“These are New Yorkers who have lived in housing that has historically been the bedrock of economic stability that instead has become the site of rent hike after rent hike, with Eric Adams being the leader of this city,” Queen state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani said.  

Mamdani has committed to freezing rent for four years if elected mayor. 

Under Adams, rents have increased every single year. The mayor appoints all nine members of the board. 

For two years in a row under former Mayor Bill de Blasio, the board voted for no hikes at all.

Last year, the board approved an increase of 2.75% on one-year leases and 5.25% on two-year leases.

“We’ve seen the RGB find that landlord revenues are up 12% but these tenants living in these units are on the brink of having to leave New York City because they simply can’t keep up with these rents,” Mamdani said. 

Brooklyn state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, another mayoral candidate, has a similar view to the mayor. 

“I think the appropriate balance here is that we cannot, on the working New Yorkers, back balance the increasing costs have been. But as the next mayor, I plan to appoint members that will put tenants first,” Myrie said in Albany Monday. 

The remaining City Hall contenders all say they'd support a rent freeze during their first year.

“I think for this year the data supports it but I’m not going to forward commit. I want to keep rents down as low as they can,” City Comptroller Brad Lander said at a mayoral forum on economic security at John Jay College last week. 

“Right now in New York city we cannot tell New Yorkers were going to increase your rent stabilized. It would be wrong to do so,” former Bronx state Assemblyman Michael Blake at the forum. 

“Because of the affordability crisis, I would say yes to this year. With the stipulation that there should be no rent freeze that harms renters. I would hate to see any retaliation,” Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said at the same forum.