New York Form RR-1 is the initial apartment registration an owner files with the Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) when a rent-stabilized unit first enters the regulatory system.1New York State Homes and Community Renewal. New York Rent Registration Form RR-1 You complete it on paper, along with two companion forms, and mail the package to DHCR’s Rent Registration Unit in Jamaica, Queens. After that first filing, you no longer use RR-1 for the same unit; you update the registration every year through the Annual Rent Registration Online (ARRO) system, reflecting each apartment’s status as of April 1.2New York State Homes and Community Renewal. Rent Registration Getting either filing wrong, or missing it entirely, freezes your right to collect future rent increases and exposes you to fines of $500 per unit for every month you remain delinquent.
Initial RR-1 vs. the Annual Online Registration
Confusing these two filings is the most common mistake owners make. RR-1 is for the first time a building or unit becomes subject to rent stabilization, typically new construction entering the system or a building converting to regulated status. The initial filing is a paper package of three forms:
- Form RR-1(i) for each apartment.
- Form RR-2(i) summarizing the building, which carries the owner’s signed affirmation and certification.
- Form RR-3(i) listing building-wide services.3New York State Homes and Community Renewal. Initial Rent Registration Instructions
Once the building is in the system, every subsequent year’s update runs through ARRO, which sits inside the Owner Rent Regulation Applications (ORRA) portal.4Homes and Community Renewal. Online Services for Owners and Managers The annual filing window runs April 1 through July 31, and the data must reflect each apartment’s status as of April 1 of that year.5Homes and Community Renewal. ARRO Rent Registration Frequently Asked Questions
What You Need Before You Start
The core data points are the same whether you are filling out RR-1 on paper or entering an annual update through ARRO. Pull these records together for every stabilized unit:
- Building ID number, street address, city or village, zip code, and county.
- Apartment number or location, total number of rooms, and the unit’s registration status (stabilized, temporarily exempt, and so on).
- Full name of each tenant of record.
- Start and expiration dates of the lease in effect on the registration date.
- The legal regulated rent — the maximum lawful monthly rent as of the registration date.
- The actual rent paid, if different, plus the reason for the difference.
- Services included in the rent and any services for which you collect a separate charge.
RR-1(i) also asks for the date the apartment became subject to rent stabilization and the reason for the initial registration.3New York State Homes and Community Renewal. Initial Rent Registration Instructions For annual updates, most owners pull last year’s filing from ARRO as a starting point and then verify the numbers against the current lease. Small gaps between what you register and what the tenant’s lease says are exactly what triggers overcharge complaints, so check the rent figures line by line before you submit.
Reporting Preferential Rent
A preferential rent is a rent you agree to charge that falls below the legal regulated rent you could lawfully collect.6NYC311. Rent Increases When a unit has one, enter both numbers on the registration — the legal regulated rent and the actual rent paid — and the reason the two differ.
Since June 14, 2019, any tenant paying a preferential rent is entitled to lease renewals with guideline increases calculated on the preferential rent, not the higher legal rent, for the duration of their tenancy.6NYC311. Rent Increases The legal regulated rent can only be collected after the apartment is vacated. The registration becomes the baseline DHCR uses to judge whether later increases were lawful, so inaccurate preferential-rent entries are a direct route to an overcharge claim.
How Apartment Improvements Show Up on the Registration
Individual Apartment Improvements (IAIs), such as new kitchens, bathroom upgrades, or flooring replacements, can produce a permanent increase in the legal regulated rent. That higher rent is what you report on the registration. The IAI itself, however, is not reported on RR-1 or through ARRO. It goes on a separate notification form, RN-19N, filed through the ORRA system with before-and-after photographs of the work.7New York State Homes and Community Renewal. Apartment (IAI) and Building (MCI) Improvements
If the apartment is occupied when the work is done, you also need the tenant’s written informed consent, filed with DHCR.7New York State Homes and Community Renewal. Apartment (IAI) and Building (MCI) Improvements Once the notification is filed, the new legal regulated rent (base rent plus the permitted IAI increase) is the figure you enter on the next registration. Keep the RN-19N receipt, contractor invoices, and consent form together so you can document the jump in rent later.
How to Submit
Initial RR-1 Filing
Fill out Forms RR-1(i), RR-2(i), and RR-3(i) and mail them to:
DHCR Rent Registration Unit
92-31 Union Hall Street
Jamaica, NY 114333New York State Homes and Community Renewal. Initial Rent Registration Instructions
The RR-2(i) building summary carries the owner’s signature. Blank forms are available on the DHCR website.
Annual Registration Through ARRO
Log in to the ORRA portal, open ARRO, select the registration year, and enter or update the data for each apartment.8Homes and Community Renewal. Owner Rent Regulation Applications ARRO supports both apartment-by-apartment entry and bulk processing for larger portfolios. DHCR recommends that owners, managing agents, and any filing representatives review the material together before submission to avoid duplicate filings and processing delays.4Homes and Community Renewal. Online Services for Owners and Managers
Save whatever confirmation the system generates. You will need it if the building is audited or sold. Anything submitted after July 31 is treated as delinquent.5Homes and Community Renewal. ARRO Rent Registration Frequently Asked Questions
Give Each Tenant a Copy
Filing with DHCR is only half of the obligation. You must also provide each tenant in occupancy with a copy of the registration for their apartment.9Cornell Law Institute. 9 NYCRR 2528.3 – Annual Registration Requirements This applies to both the initial RR-1 package and every annual update, and to any later amendment. Skipping it gives tenants grounds to challenge registration data they never had a chance to review.
Fixing a Mistake After You File
How you correct an error depends on how far back it goes.
For the current year or a recent one, an amended registration is accepted as timely if filed by July 31 of the year following the registration year. Reprint the original forms from ARRO, write “AMENDMENT” across the top, highlight the changes, and mail the corrected forms, with the signed building summary (RR-2S for annual amendments), to the Rent Registration Unit at the Jamaica address.10Homes and Community Renewal. Restrictions and Directions for Filing Amended Registrations
For prior years beyond that window, DHCR rejects amendments unless you have an order or directive from DHCR or another supervising agency. Without one, you have to request an Administrative Determination by sending a signed, notarized letter to the Director of the Multi-Service Unit at the same address. The letter should identify the registration year, explain the reason for the change, and attach supporting documentation such as the lease in effect on April 1 of that year.10Homes and Community Renewal. Restrictions and Directions for Filing Amended Registrations
Give the affected tenant a copy of the amended registration too.
What Happens if You File Late or Not at All
The consequences run on two tracks. First, an owner who has not filed a proper and timely registration cannot apply for or collect any Rent Guidelines Board increase or other lawful rent increase until the registration is on file. Filing late only lifts the bar going forward; you cannot retroactively collect the increases you missed during the delinquent period.11New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. 9 NYCRR 2528.4 – Penalty for Failure to Register
Second, the rent laws impose a fine of $500 per unregistered unit for each month the registration remains delinquent.12Homes and Community Renewal. Operational Bulletin 2024-1 DHCR serves a notice of delinquency and, where warranted, issues a Commissioner’s Order imposing the fines. That order is treated as a final determination and can be enforced like a state court judgment.
Don’t Confuse This With HPD Property Registration
If your building is in New York City and has three or more residential units, you also owe an annual property registration to the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD).13NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Register Your Property That filing is entirely separate from your DHCR rent registration. HPD collects ownership and emergency-contact information; DHCR tracks regulated rents and lease terms. Filing RR-1 does not satisfy HPD, and registering with HPD does not satisfy DHCR.