New York - Today, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani released the Rental Ripoff Report , a package of 23 policy actions shaped by testimony from thousands of New Yorkers at Rental Ripoff Hearings held across the five boroughs. The hearings were established through one of the Mayor's first Executive Orders and informed a sweeping set of reforms to strengthen tenant protections, improve housing quality and hold negligent landlords accountable.
The actions build on the Mayor's housing plan, Block by Block , which charts a path to build 200,000 affordable homes, preserve another 200,000, make the largest investment in public housing in modern history and enforce the nation's strongest tenant protections.
The report's recommendations include recognizing tenant unions, expanding tenants' ability to organize and bargain collectively over building conditions and other shared concerns; requiring landlords to disclose when rental listings have been altered using artificial intelligence or other digital tools; modernizing building owner registration and communication systems; and using the City's full enforcement authority to crack down on "repeat-offender" landlords through inspections, enforcement programs and litigation.
"At Rental Ripoff Hearings across the five boroughs, we heard from thousands of New Yorkers living with mold that was never treated, pests that were never addressed and fees that were never explained. Listening was only the first step. This report turns those stories into concrete action. From requiring disclosure of AI-altered listings to bringing our code enforcement systems into the 21st century and finally recognizing tenant unions, we are making it clear that every New Yorker deserves a safe home - and every landlord who refuses to provide one will be held accountable," said Mayor Mamdani.
"The actions laid out in the Rental Ripoff Report will help create a city where every New Yorker can live with dignity. From improving code enforcement to supporting tenants who organize with their neighbors, these policies are rooted in real experiences and address real concerns. My thanks to the thousands of New Yorkers who helped shape these actions and to the many City staff who helped make the Rental Ripoff Hearings a success," said Leila Bozorg, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning.
"The Rental Ripoff Hearings and today's report are writing a new chapter in tenant power in New York City. Governing is a partnership. By bringing tenants' voices directly into policy and taking unprecedented steps to facilitate tenant organizing across the city, we are showing what governing with New Yorkers looks like. From legally recognizing tenant unions to coordinating enforcement days with tenants and owners, we are making clear that our city and our housing market is stronger when tenants are mobilized, engaged and represented," said Cea Weaver, Director, Mayor's Office to Protect Tenants.
Mayor Mamdani established the Rental Ripoff Hearings through Executive Order 8, signed during his first week in office. Between February and April, the administration held one hearing in each borough and accepted testimony online, engaging over 2,400 New Yorkers.
The report identifies the most common concerns raised by tenants. 16% of testimony referenced pests, while 13% mentioned mold and another 13% cited leaks. New Yorkers also described widespread problems with poor housing conditions, landlord harassment, confusing interactions with agencies, deceptive fees and surprise utility bills. That feedback directly informed the policies included in the Rental Ripoff Report.
The Mamdani administration will use every tool at the City's disposal to implement the report's recommendations, including executive action, agency rulemaking, legislation and litigation.
Examples of executive actions and agency rulemaking include:
- Investigating every heat complaint individually rather than consolidating complaints from the same building.
- Allowing tenants to schedule certain building inspections.
- Improving response time to elevator outage complaints.
- Addressing the root causes of residential fires.
- Streamlining public information about tenants' rights and strengthening protections against harassment based on immigration status.
The Mayor's Office to Protect Tenants will also convene a Legislative Task Force to recommend reforms to the City's housing quality enforcement system. Possible reforms to be studied include:
- Adding financial penalties to the Underlying Conditions Program for landlords who fail to remediate mold.
- Strengthening the Alternative Enforcement Program (AEP) to better address chronic building violations.
- Modernizing the property registration process, which remains paper-based and does not require building owners to provide an email address.
- Allowing the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) to serve building owners with violations through digital notice to existing methods.
"I'm grateful for the two thousand New Yorkers who took the time to attend these hearings and to tell us what they need. That feedback now serves as our call to action and the reforms laid out in this report will significantly advance HPD's mission to ensure that New Yorkers are safe and secure inside their homes," said HPD Commissioner Dina Levy.
"This administration has done more than any other to better understand the lived experiences of renters and working New Yorkers facing the brunt of this city's housing affordability crisis," said Department of Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani. "Informed by hundreds of hours of testimony from our fellow New Yorkers at these Rental Ripoff hearings, this report now gives us the blueprint we need to repair what's broken in our enforcement protocols and close the gaps in city regulations. The Department of Buildings provides critical services protecting tenants against bad landlords, and supporting the responsible property owners who properly maintain their buildings. We look forward to enacting these reforms to make these services work better for our fellow New Yorkers."
"Every New Yorker deserves a safe and stable place to call home, without having to navigate deceptive practices or pay onerous or surprise fees just to keep a roof over their head. The Rental Ripoff Report reflects what thousands of New Yorkers told us directly: the system is broken," said Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Samuel A.A. Levine. "From enforcing the FARE Act, which protects renters from being forced to pay a broker fee when a landlord hired the broker, to the policies outlined in this report, we are building a fairer housing marketplace where tenants have greater transparency and stronger protections. At DCWP, we will continue using every tool available to deliver economic relief to all New Yorkers."
"Tenants organized to elect a Mayor who pledged to listen to our voices and the Rental Ripoff Hearings were a perfect example of that. The City brought the experts - tenants - to the table to learn about the pressing issues impacting us and are now using that testimony to shape policy. This report represents a new era of tenant power in the city. We will continue organizing to ensure that new insights from the Rental Ripoff Hearings lead to lasting change for tenants across the city," said Sumathy Kumar, Executive Director, NYS Tenant Bloc.
"The Rental Ripoff Report is an important step in naming the failures that tenants experience every day. However, it's real promise is in using this information to strengthen tenants' voices, hold bad landlords accountable, and build a housing system where tenants shape the policies that govern their homes. CASA knows that we will win safe and dignified homes by continuing to organize and build tenant power," said Joanne Grell, Community Action for Safe Apartments (CASA) Leader.
"New York City tenants have always organized to fight harassment, neglect, and displacement. We welcome this Rental Ripoff Report as an ambitious commitment from the Mamdani administration to be a strong partner in that work. Together, we look forward to building a city where homes are treated as places to live with dignity, not opportunities for speculation," said Charlie Dulik, Director of Organizing, Housing Conservation Coordinators (HCC).
"Tenants fought for a mayoral administration that answers to the working class--and we are heartened by the steps taken during the rip-off hearings and looking forward to what comes next. For far too long, the city has put the profits of real estate above the lives of working class and immigrant tenants. We deserve a city administration that takes our needs, concerns, and demands seriously. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the mayoral administration to ensure that the administration answers to NYC's tenant majority," said Julie Xu, Chinatown chapter lead organizer at CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities.
