Mayor Bill de Blasio called on Albany legislators to vote to protect affordable homes during a rally Saturday in Harlem.
Failure to do so will doom 2 million New Yorkers who rely on government protection from landlords, de Blasio said.
The mayor urged legislators to strengthen rent regulations rather than vote to end them when they expire June 15.
De Blasio said 56 percent of New York City residents struggle to pay rents in neighborhoods where thousands of rent-controlled apartments have been lost.
He urged lawmakers to eliminate rules letting landlords raise rents to market prices when a tenant leaves.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a New York Daily News op-ed piece Saturday that he will call legislators into session every day until they strengthen and extend tenant protections.
