The Mamdani administration's consumer protection office has proposed a "Junk Fees" rule that would require landlords and listing platforms to include all mandatory charges in a stated monthly rent price. A public hearing is set for August 7.

The city's consumer protection office proposed a rule Thursday that would require all mandatory rental fees — monthly, annual, or otherwise — to be bundled into the stated monthly asking price for apartments, ending the practice of advertising a base rent that climbs once "boiler management," "lifestyle," and similar charges are stacked on top.

The proposed rule, filed by the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) and listed on the city's official rulemaking register as "Junk Fees," goes to a public hearing on August 7, with comments due the same date. If adopted, New York City would be the first U.S. city to require that sellers of goods and services — including landlords and property managers — advertise an all-in total price upfront.

DCWP Commissioner Samuel AA Levine, formerly head of consumer protection at the Federal Trade Commission, announced the proposal Thursday alongside a companion subscription-cancellation rule that was adopted the same day and takes effect October 1. "Rather than competing on price, companies are competing on their ability to hide the true price," Levine told The Guardian. "That's the worst kind of incentive."

The housing stakes are real. Roughly 70 percent of New York City residents are renters, and building management companies have layered on charges — labeled for boiler maintenance, amenity access, or "lifestyle" services — that can push effective monthly costs hundreds of dollars above the price on a real-estate listing. A Biden-era federal junk-fee rule was stripped of its apartment provisions after real estate industry lobbying; the DCWP proposal is the city taking a run at what Washington wouldn't hold.

The companion subscription rule carries fines of $525 per customer subscription for companies that fail to provide a simple cancellation path. The junk-fee rule remains in its public comment period through August 7.