Rent stabilized apartments increase their rent by ~3% a year. That seems fine for keeping up with costs. You also have to keep in mind that the required work becomes more efficient over time. An example I've noticed is that in times past, every building had a live-in super/porter that would (among other things) take out the trash 3 times a week. Now I see someone driving around the neighborhood in a moped on trash day, parking in front of a building, taking out the trash, and moving on to the next customer. That's probably cheaper than it was, even if the person's apartment now costs more.