Form RTP-8 at a glance
What it is: This is a notice for renewal of lease and a Renewal Lease Form issued under section 2523.5(a) of the Rent Stabilization Code.
Who signs: The Tenant's Signature(s) line is for the tenant and the Owner's Signature(s) line is for the owner. This form becomes a binding lease renewal when signed by the owner below, on the Owner's Signature(s) line, and returned to the tenant.
Where and when to file: Owner: the renewal lease shall commence not less than 90 days nor more than 150 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery of this Renewal Lease Form. Tenant: return this Renewal Lease Form to the owner in person or by regular mail, within 60 days of the date this Notice was served upon the tenant by the owner. The owner must furnish the tenant with a fully executed copy of this Renewal Lease Form bearing the tenant's and owner's signatures in PART B, and a copy of the DHCR New York City Lease Rider, within 30 days of the owner's receipt of this Form signed by the tenant.
Owners and tenants should read the Instructions to Owner and the Instructions to Tenant, shown on page 2 of Form RTP-8 (6/26), before filling out or signing this form.
The tenant checks and completes where indicated one of the three responses in PART B, then dates and signs the response.
What to bring and attach to Form RTP-8
This Renewal Lease must be offered on the same terms and conditions as the expiring lease, except for such additional provisions as are permitted by law or the Rent Stabilization Code which must be set forth by the owner and attached to this Form. If there are any additional lawful agreements between the owner and tenant, a copy signed by both parties must be attached to this Form.
A rider setting forth the rights and obligations of tenants and owners under the Rent Stabilization Law must be attached to this lease when signed by the owner and returned to the tenant.
A filled-in Form RTP-8 example: an owner offers a one year renewal and the tenant accepts
How to fill out Form RTP-8, box by box
Tap a group of boxes to open it, and a picture to see it full size.
Page 1: the date, the tenant and the owner
Fill in the Dated line, the Tenant's Name(s) and Address and the Owner's /Agent's Name and Address.
When the lease expires
1. The owner hereby notifies the tenant that the lease will expire on: fill in the three boxes after "will expire on:".
Part A, 2: the rent for one year and two years
The owner must fully complete PART A explaining how the new rent has been computed.
PART A is the offer to the tenant to renew: the tenant may renew the lease for one or two years, at the tenant's option.
Column A, Renewal Term: the two lines are 1 Year and 2 Years.
Column B, Legal Rent on Sept.30th Preceding Commencement Date of this Renewal Lease: fill in the 1 Year line; the 2 Years line has Same as above.
Column C, Guideline % or Minimum $ Amount: each line has a ( %) blank and a $ blank; the form does not say to fill both.
If applicable guideline rate is unknown at time offer is made, check box in Column C and enter current guideline which will be subject to adjustment when rates are ordered.
Column D, Applicable Guideline Supplement, if any. Column E, Lawful Rent Increase, if any, Effective after Sept. 30th.
Column F, New Legal Rent: if a different rent is to be charged, check the box in Column F and see item 5.
Any rent increase must not exceed the applicable Rent Guidelines Board adjustment(s) plus other adjustments authorized by the Rent Stabilization Code.
Part A, 3 and 4: the security deposit and separate charges
3. Security Deposit: fill in the Current Deposit and the Additional Deposit Required for a 1 year lease and for a 2 year lease.
Pursuant to the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019, an owner can hold no more than one month security deposit. Anything in excess of one month must be refunded to the tenant.
4. Specify separate charges, if applicable: a. Air conditioner, b. Appliances, c. 421a (2.2%), d. Other, and the Total separate charges.
Part A, 5 and 6: a different rent and the monthly payment
5. Different Rent to be charged, if any: fill in $ for the 1 year lease and $ for the 2 year lease, and check Yes or No for Agreement attached.
6. The tenant shall pay a monthly rent (enter amount from 2F, that is item 2 Column F, or from 5) for a 1 year renewal or a 2 year renewal, plus total separate charges (enter amount from 4) for a total monthly payment for a 1 year renewal or a 2 year renewal.
Part A, 7: when the renewal lease commences and terminates
7. Enter the date the renewal lease shall commence, which shall not be less than 90 days nor more than 150 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery of this Renewal Lease Form.
7. Enter the date this Renewal Lease shall terminate for a 1 year lease and for a 2 year lease.
Part A, 8 to 10: terms, SCRIE and DRIE, and the sprinkler system
8. This renewal lease is based on the same terms and conditions as the expiring lease (see the instructions about additional provisions).
9. SCRIE and DRIE: Owner and Tenant acknowledge that, as of the date of this renewal, Tenant is entitled to pay a reduced monthly rent in the blank amount under the New York City SCRIE program or the New York City DRIE program; the reduced rent may be adjusted by orders of such program. The form does not say what to enter when SCRIE and DRIE do not apply.
10. Check one box: the leased premises does or does not have an operative sprinkler system. If operative, fill in the blank after "maintained and inspected on".
The rent, separate charges and total payment provided for in this renewal lease may be increased or decreased by order or annual updates of the Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR), the Rent Guidelines Board (RGB), or other government agency authorized to fix rents.
The owner mails copies to the tenant
Instructions to Owner: at least two copies of this completed Renewal Lease Form must be mailed to the tenant in occupancy or personally delivered not more than 150 days and not less than 90 days prior to the end of the tenant's lease term, along with the New York City Lease Rider For Rent Stabilized Tenants.
Part B: the tenant's response
First response: the undersigned tenant(s) accept the offer of a one (1) year renewal lease; fill in the monthly rent, the separate charges and the total monthly payment.
Second response: the undersigned tenants accept the offer of a two (2) year renewal lease; fill in the monthly rent, the separate charges and the total monthly payment.
Last response: the tenant will not renew the lease and intends to vacate the apartment on the expiration date of the current lease.
If the tenant wishes to accept this offer to renew the lease, the tenant must complete and sign this Renewal Lease Form in the space provided in PART B and return all copies of the signed Lease Form to the owner (landlord, in the notice at the top of the form) in person or by regular mail within 60 days of the date this Form was served upon the tenant. The tenant may wish to make a copy for the tenant's own records.
The two Dated lines and the signatures
Two Dated lines are shown next to Tenant's Signature(s) and Owner's Signature(s). The tenant dates and signs the response in PART B; the form does not say which Dated line is for which signature.
The Tenant's Signature(s) line is for the tenant and the Owner's Signature(s) line is for the owner.
The owner's copy after the tenant signs
The owner must furnish the tenant with a fully executed copy of this Renewal Lease Form bearing the tenant's and owner's signatures in PART B, and a copy of the DHCR New York City Lease Rider, within 30 days of the owner's receipt of this Form signed by the tenant.
Service of this fully executed Form, upon the tenant, constitutes a binding renewal lease.
Instructions to Tenant, page 2
Before the tenant completes and signs PART B and returns this Renewal Lease Form, the tenant should be sure to check that all lawful provisions and written agreements have been attached by the owner to this Form. All attachments should be read carefully. If such other lawful provisions appear, they are part of this lease renewal offer and renewal lease.
The tenant's acceptance of this offer to renew shall constitute a renewal of the present lease for the term of years and rent accepted, subject to any other lawful changes which appear in writing on the attachments to this Form, and subject also to payment of the new rent and additional security, if any. Such additional security shall be deposited by the owner in the manner provided for on initial occupancy.
For a summary of tenants' rights and owners' responsibilities, refer to the New York City Lease Rider.
If your situation is different
The owner offers a Renewal Lease less than 90 days prior to the expiration of the existing lease
If the owner offers a Renewal Lease less than 90 days prior to the expiration of the existing lease, the lease term selected by the tenant shall begin at the tenant's option either (1) on the date a renewal lease would have begun had a timely offer been made or (2) on the first rent payment date occurring no less than 90 days after the date that the owner does offer the lease to the tenant.
The guidelines rate applicable for such lease shall be no greater than the rate in effect on the commencement date of the lease for which a timely offer should have been made, and the increased rental shall not begin before the first rent payment date occurring no less than 90 days after such offer is made.
Tenants that were paying a preferential rent as of June 14, 2019 or thereafter
Tenants that were paying a preferential rent as of June 14, 2019 or thereafter, retain the preferential rent for the life of the tenancy.
Rent Guidelines Board increases and other increases allowed by the Rent Stabilization Law are to be applied to the preferential rent.
A government program provides rental assistance for the apartment
Regulatory agreements issued and approved by a state or municipal agency or other designated party may provide for actual rents that are higher than legal rents and preferential rents, as long as a government program provides rental assistance for the apartment.
The tenant share is governed by the agency providing rental assistance and the regulatory agreement. The actual rent must also be separately registered.
When the rental assistance ends, either during a tenancy or upon vacancy, the lesser of the lower legal rent or preferential rent plus any lawful adjustments or a lower rent established by the regulatory agreement must be charged.
This requirement is stated in plain language in DHCR Notice RA-LR3, which must be attached to all leases when higher actual rents are being charged.
A Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) or Disability Rent Increase Exemption (DRIE)
As of July 1, 2026, the total household income for a Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) or Disability Rent Increase Exemption (DRIE) cannot exceed $75,000.
For SCRIE and DRIE, more than 1/3 of the total household income must be paid toward rent. For SCRIE, the tenant or tenant's spouse must be 62 years of age or older.
For more information, tenants in New York City can visit nyc.gov or call 311. Please refer to DHCR Fact Sheets #20 and #21.
Common questions about Form RTP-8
Is there a penalty for filing late?
If the tenant does not sign and return this Renewal Lease Form within the prescribed 60-day period (60 days of the date this Notice was served upon the tenant by the owner), the owner may have grounds to start proceedings to evict the tenant from the apartment. If the owner fails to furnish the tenant with a fully executed copy of this Form within 30 days of receipt of the Form signed by the tenant, the tenant shall continue to have all rights afforded by the Rent Stabilization Law and Code, and the owner will be barred from commencing any action or proceeding against the tenant based upon non-renewal of lease.
Where to get help with Form RTP-8
Shown at the end of page 2 of the form: State of New York Division of Housing and Community Renewal, Office of Rent Administration/Gertz Plaza, 92-31 Union Hall Street, Jamaica, New York 11433, Web Site: www.hcr.ny.gov.
Sources
[1] Form RTP-8 (6/26), Renewal Lease Form, New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (the Official source link on this page).
