Rent gouging in the second degree · as in force on May 31, 2026
§ 180.56 Rent gouging in the second degree.
A person is guilty of rent gouging in the second 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, of two hundred fifty dollars or more, 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 second degree is a class A misdemeanor.
A person commits second-degree rent gouging by soliciting, accepting, or agreeing to accept $250 or more 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 A 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.