Today, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announced a new fast track to expedite the most critical Housing Court cases. Under a new directive from the Administrative Judge of the New York City Civil Court, Housing Court judges will expedite hearing cases involving vacate orders, immediately hazardous building-wide conditions or elevator outages and Article 7A proceedings in which the City or tenants seek the appointment of third-party building management because of landlord neglect.
The new Housing Court fast track will help further the Mamdani administration's efforts to hold negligent landlords accountable, including through actions outlined in its Block by Block housing plan and the Rental Ripoff Report . Through the "Fix the City" initiative, the Mamdani administration will use a range of enforcement tools, including expedited Housing Court actions, to take on the city's most persistently negligent landlords. The administration is also advancing measures outlined in the Rental Ripoff Report to more effectively enforce tenants' rights to functioning elevators and reasonable accommodations when elevators are out of service for extended periods.
Housing Court cases routinely drag on for months or even years, delaying tenants' ability to return home after a disaster or forcing them to live in dangerous conditions caused by landlord neglect. The new fast track will move the most urgent and complex cases more quickly, with the goal of delivering justice and repairs to New York City tenants without unnecessary delay.
"New Yorkers deserve a government that treats the housing crisis with the urgency it demands. When a building is dangerous, when an elevator is out or when a landlord has abandoned their responsibility to provide a safe home, tenants should not have to wait months or years for relief. This new fast track will help make sure our Housing Court moves with the same urgency as the emergencies New Yorkers are facing," said Mayor Mamdani. "This is a victory for tenants, legal services providers and everyone fighting for housing justice across our five boroughs."
"Upholding housing standards is one of the key statutory mandates of the Housing Court. The New York State Unified Court System is committed to ensuring that tenants facing the most severe and dangerous housing conditions receive timely access to justice," said New York City Housing Court Supervising Judge Jack Stoller. "The Housing Court's new procedure focuses on matters where city agencies have documented that a building is under a vacate order, lacks essential services, or has elevators that are completely inoperable and the situation is urgent. By prioritizing these matters for expedited resolution, the Court reaffirms its dedication to ensuring safe housing for the most vulnerable New Yorkers while also ensuring that landlords have a right to present their arguments as well. The Court is pleased to work with the City of New York to identify matters that require expedited action."
"Tenants who are facing immediately hazardous conditions or who are waiting to return home after a disaster deserve a government that acts with urgency. Thanks to the Unified Court System's new directive, we can more quickly address the most critical emergencies facing New Yorkers," said Leila Bozorg, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning. "This change is an important part of our all-of-the-above approach to creating a city where every New Yorker can live with dignity."
"Today, we are taking a critical step forward in our commitment to Fix the City," said Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Dina Levy. "By delivering justice faster, we will better protect tenants and more effectively pursue cases against willfully negligent landlords."
"Property owners have important legal responsibilities to properly maintain their buildings and perform repairs, when necessary," said Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani. "When neglectful and bad actor landlords intentionally fail to live up to these responsibilities, Housing Court is many times the last option for tenants looking to get relief, including those displaced due to unsafe building conditions and those dealing with prolonged elevator outages. This new fast track for Housing Court cases adds urgency and pressure to initiate long-delayed repairs where it's needed most, getting New Yorkers back into their rightful homes."
The administrative order creating the fast track applies to:
- Housing Part ("HP") cases with one or more of the following conditions:
- A vacate order affecting one-third or more of the apartments in a building, or the entire building;
- An open, immediately hazardous HPD Class C violation for lack of essential services - including heat, hot water, electricity, gas or water - in one-third or more of the apartments in a building, or the entire building; or
- All elevators in a building or building section being out of service.
- Article 7A proceedings in which the City or tenants seek the appointment of a third-party building manager at buildings with an open, immediately hazardous HPD Class C or DOB Class 1 violation.
Housing Court cases in these categories will now be assigned a judge on the same day they are filed, with subsequent filings and appearances held on an expedited timeline. Once service is completed, the parties will have no more than five days to appear in court. To support the new fast track, the Unified Court System is expanding the number of judges eligible to be assigned to Housing Part and Article 7A cases.
In April, Mayor Mamdani became the first sitting Mayor of New York City to visit an operating Housing Court. The Mamdani administration is also investing in tenant representation, including $14.3 million in FY27 and $40 million annually thereafter, to expand Right to Counsel.
These investments are part of a broader effort to make housing safer, more affordable and more secure for New Yorkers. Through Block by Block and the Mayor's first budget, the Mamdani administration is investing $22 billion over five years in affordable housing. The administration is also revamping the City's code enforcement system and supporting organized tenants through coordinated interagency "enforcement days," roof-to-cellar inspections and other tools. The administration has also implemented new requirements that mandate landlords offer alternative accommodations for tenants in buildings that have been without elevator service for more than fourteen days, when repairs are not being made. Through the Fix the City initiative, the administration is bringing these efforts together to take on negligent landlords and ensure that the City's housing laws work for the people they are meant to protect.
"The fight against our historic housing crisis demands using every single tool to keep tenants safe and in their homes," said New York City Comptroller Mark Levine. "Expediting these hearings will go a long way toward clearing the backlog I saw up close when I toured Housing Court this spring. I'm glad to see the City take these steps to ensure tenants don't have to endure months of court appearances or live in unsafe conditions."
"Tenants are sometimes waiting for years until their housing court cases are resolved, often forcing them to live in dangerous conditions or making it impossible for them to return to their homes. I'm glad to see the Mayor is taking action to expedite these cases, ensuring landlords are held accountable and ensuring more tenants receive the housing justice they deserve," said State Senator Julia Salazar.
"This is a new dawn for thousands of tenants across the city," said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal. "For decades, certain landlords have withheld critical building and apartment repairs to harass tenants and to make a quick buck. The 7A program empowers tenants and holds chronically bad actors, like Steven Croman, accountable to the people who call their buildings home. Those who put their tenants in harms way by either refusing to perform work to cure hazardous conditions or engaging in a pattern of misconduct will face the consequences. I applaud that the Mayor and Judge Ally are taking the steps necessary to hasten 7A proceedings, and I look forward to seeing many New Yorkers receive the financial relief (and peace of mind) they so desperately seek."
"New Yorkers who are forced from their homes by dangerous conditions should not have to wait months or years to return because of delays in the court system. Every day of displacement disrupts families' lives and can mean losing access to schools, jobs, health care, neighbors, and community," said Adriene Holder, Chief Attorney of the Civil Practice at The Legal Aid Society. "We are proud to have worked with HPD to advance this important reform, which will help ensure that tenants can get home safely and as quickly as possible. We thank the Mayor, HPD and the Office of Court Administration for recognizing the urgency of these cases and taking meaningful action to reduce unnecessary delays."
