Ridgewood Renter's Guide: Housing and Transit

Most Ridgewood rentals are in small brick walk-ups and two-family rowhouses built between about 1900 and 1950, many of them in landmarked historic districts. Before you rent, check three things that matter in old small buildings: how the apartment is heated, whether working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are in place, and whether the unit could be rent stabilized.

This guide uses the city's PLUTO land-use data and the Landmarks Preservation Commission's designation reports to describe the housing, then gives you the checks in order.

What the housing looks like

Ridgewood is a walk-up neighborhood. Almost no homes are in elevator buildings, and about 60% of homes are in buildings with five or fewer units. The rest are mostly in walk-ups of six to 19 units.

The LPC's Central Ridgewood report describes three basic building types from the neighborhood's main building period: two- and three-family row houses with one apartment per floor, two- and three-story tenements with two apartments per floor, and small apartment buildings with stores on the ground floor. That matches what PLUTO shows today.

Two things follow from those dates. Almost every building predates 1960, the cutoff for New York City's lead paint law, and almost every building with six or more units predates 1974, the usual cutoff for rent stabilization. So for a Ridgewood walk-up, the lead and rent-history checks below are not optional extras.

The historic districts

1. Nov. 28, 2000

   Stockholm Street Historic District

   A one-block row of 36 brick houses, one former stable and two garages on a brick-paved street.

2. Sept. 15, 2009

   Ridgewood North Historic District

   96 buildings, mostly three-story brick tenements built 1908–1914.

3. Oct. 26, 2010

   Ridgewood South Historic District

   More than 210 buildings, mostly three-story brick tenements built 1911–1912.

4. Dec. 9, 2014

   Central Ridgewood Historic District

   About 990 buildings and sites, most of them brick row houses.

Many buildings in the North and South districts are “Mathews Model Flats,” built by the G.X. Mathews Company. The LPC reports describe them as “new law” tenements with larger rooms and better sanitary facilities than older tenements, and the Ridgewood North report credits their wider lots, large air shafts, private bathrooms and limit of two families per floor, calling them Mathews' “cold-water flats.” Landmark status controls exterior changes; it does not change your rights as a tenant.

Getting around

The M runs on an elevated line through the neighborhood with stops at Myrtle–Wyckoff Avs, Seneca Av, Forest Av, Fresh Pond Rd and Middle Village–Metropolitan Av. The L stops at Myrtle–Wyckoff Avs and Halsey St on the Brooklyn border. The MTA lists Myrtle–Wyckoff Avs and Middle Village–Metropolitan Av as accessible; the others are not. By straight-line distance, about 96% of homes are within half a mile of a station.

What to check in an old walk-up

Heat and hot water

The Ridgewood North report calls the Mathews flats “cold-water flats,” and heating setups in century-old walk-ups vary from building to building. Ask what heats the apartment, who controls it and who pays for fuel. From October 1 to May 31, the building must keep apartments at 68°F or more during the day (6 a.m. to 10 p.m.) when it is below 55°F outside, and 62°F or more at night. Hot water must be at least 120°F all year. Use the heat season temperature checker if you are unsure, and look up past heat complaints for the address.

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

Buildings with three or more units are multiple dwellings. HPD requires owners of multiple dwellings to provide at least one working smoke detector and one carbon monoxide detector in each apartment. In non-owner-occupied one- and two-family homes, a CO detector is required where there are fuel-burning devices. In Class A buildings, HPD says a tenant must repay the owner $25 for each newly installed smoke detector, within one year. Test the alarms at the viewing. See smoke and CO detector rules.

Lead paint

Nearly all of Ridgewood's housing predates 1960. Local Law 1 covers buildings with three or more units built before 1960, and tenant-occupied units in one- and two-family homes built before 1960. If a child under six will live with you, tell the landlord. The strongest duties apply when a child under six routinely spends 10 or more hours a week in the home: the owner sends an annual notice each January (return it by February 16) and must investigate and repair peeling paint, and you must allow access for those inspections.

Rent history

Rent stabilization generally covers buildings with six or more units built before 1974 (HCR Fact Sheet #1; RGB FAQ). About 35% of Ridgewood homes are in non-co-op, non-condo buildings that fit that profile, mostly six-to-19-unit walk-ups. If yours does, use the rent-stabilized checker and request the rent history from HCR. A unit that should be stabilized but is rented at a market lease is worth a closer look; see rent overcharge complaints.

In buildings with fewer than six units, stabilization generally does not apply, and Good Cause Eviction may not either: HPD exempts owners of 10 or fewer units statewide and owner-occupied buildings with 10 or fewer apartments.

Broker fees

Under the FARE Act, in effect since June 11, 2025, a broker who represents the landlord cannot charge you a fee. If a listing asks you to pay a broker, ask in writing who hired that broker. If you did not hire them, you should not be paying them. See do I owe a broker fee? and the broker fee checker.

Checks before you sign

1. 1

   Look up the building

   Search the address on Roofy (/nyc) for building class, year built, unit count and open HPD violations.
2. 2

   Count the units

   Fewer than 3, 3–5, or 6+ units changes which rules apply.
3. 3

   Ask about heat

   What system, who controls it, who pays for fuel, and any past heat complaints.
4. 4

   Test the alarms

   Press test on the smoke and CO detectors during the viewing.
5. 5

   Ask about lead paint

   In pre-1960 buildings, ask for the Local Law 1 lease notice and tell the landlord if a child under six will live with you.
6. 6

   Request rent history for 6+ unit buildings

   Confirm whether the unit is or should be stabilized before you sign.