Rent gouging in the third degree · as in force on May 31, 2026
§ 180.55 Rent gouging in the third degree.
A person is guilty of rent gouging in the third degree when, in connection with the leasing, rental or use of real property, he solicits, accepts or agrees to accept from a person some consideration of value, less than two hundred fifty dollars, in addition to lawful rental and other lawful charges, upon an agreement or understanding that the furnishing of such consideration will increase the possibility that any person may obtain or renew the lease, rental or use of such property, or that a failure to furnish it will decrease the possibility that any person may obtain or renew the same.
Rent gouging in the third degree is a class B misdemeanor.
A person commits third-degree rent gouging by soliciting, accepting, or agreeing to accept less than $250 beyond lawful rent and charges in exchange for improving—or avoiding harm to—someone’s chance to obtain or renew the lease, rental, or use of real property. ★ It is a class B misdemeanor.
Marked in the text: penalties, time limits, sums of money. Editorial emphasis added by this edition; it does not appear in the statute as enacted.
This provision appears in Volume 4 — The Court Clerk: Penal Law; Volume 1 — The Court Officer in Plain English; Volume 3 — The Court Officer: Penal Law; Volume 3 — Your Career: Penal Law in Plain English.