Legal challenges are mounting after the Rent Guidelines Board voted 7-1 to freeze rent increases on roughly 1 million rent-stabilized apartments for leases starting on October 1 and running through the following September.Landlords and lawyers say they will pursue lawsuits arguing the freeze ignores rising insurance, tax, and utility costs and violates due process, and some owners are already weighing sales or deferred maintenance to cut losses.Zohran Mamdani defends the vote as the fulfillment of a campaign promise to relieve renters, while former board member Christina Smyth resigned and critics note six of nine members were appointed during Mamdani’s tenure.Tenants can file complaints with the Division of Housing and Community Renewal and may seek damages under expanded tenant-protection laws, even as experts warn the freeze could push market-rate rents higher and strain building upkeep.