Mayor Zohran Mamdani came out swinging against “bad landlords” shortly after taking office.
The new mayor’s first actions included naming a frequent adversary of city landlords to an office dedicated to tenant rights. He also announced that the city will “intervene” in a bankruptcy case that will decide the fate of thousands of rent-stabilized apartments.
During Mamdani’s first 100 days in office, the administration will host hearings for tenants to sound off about their landlords and living conditions, dubbed “Rental Ripoff” hearings.
These actions underscore a point the mayor made during his inauguration address, that he will not moderate or scale back on pledges he made while campaigning for mayor. He reiterated his promise to freeze rents and to “take on the bad landlords who mistreat their tenants.”
“I was elected as a Democratic socialist and I will govern as a Democratic socialist,” he said. “I will not abandon my principles for fear of being deemed radical.”
Real estate professionals are closely watching the first days of the administration unfold. Seth Glasser, a multifamily broker with Marcus & Millichap, wasn’t surprised by Mamdani’s first moves as mayor.
“We didn’t just wake up today and think ‘this guy doesn’t like landlords,’” he said.
He noted that the city’s involvement in Pinnacle Group’s bankruptcy case could create uncertainty around how the government will intervene in private deals going forward, which could scare away investors and lenders.
“The one thing you can’t underwrite is government intervention,” he said.
On his first day in office, Mamdani signed three housing-related executive orders. One relaunched the defunct Office to Protect Tenants, giving it a more specific mandate than its predecessor to “promote tenants’ interests and concerns” and develop “policy changes to strengthen tenants’ rights.” The order also leaves the door open for the mayor to assign the office more responsibility.
He named tenant organizer Cea Weaver as the director of the Office to Protect Tenants. Weaver, who heads tenant advocacy groups Housing Justice for All and the New York State Tenant Bloc and was a policy advisor to Mamdani during his campaign, played a major role in the passage of the 2019 Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act, which closed off most ways that landlords can increase rents on stabilized apartments.
Joanne Grell, a rent-stabilized tenant and co-chair of the NYS Tenant Bloc’s rent freeze campaign, said in a statement that Weaver’s appointment “makes clear that Mayor Mamdani is serious about following through on his commitment to protect tenants.”
One of the office’s first actions was to intervene in Pinnacle Group’s bankruptcy and the Jan. 8 auction that would transfer 5,100 rent-stabilized apartments in the owner’s portfolio. As of Monday, the city hasn’t filed anything in federal court, but Weaver told the New York Times that the goal is to ensure that the new owner pursues repairs and complies with rent-stabilization laws.
Kenny Burgos, CEO of the New York Apartment Association, said he is not against the city helping Pinnacle’s tenants organize to buy the building, but doing so would cost millions of dollars. He also said taking such action should come with the recognition that there are many other rent-stabilized buildings in similar situations and that broader action is needed to help struggling owners.
The mayor signed an executive order directing the Office to Protect Tenants, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the Department of Buildings and the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection to host “Rental Ripoff” hearings. The hearings will focus on “illegal, unfair, abusive, deceptive, or unconscionable landlord practices” as well as “operational improvements that the City should adopt to strengthen housing and building code enforcement.”
The order indicates that the city wants to hear from landlords in addition to tenants, tenant advocacy groups and others.
“I want New Yorkers who have long been ignored by their landlords to finally be heard by our city government,” Mamdani said during a press conference announcing the hearings, noting that the hearings won’t simply be “listening sessions” but will help shape policy.
Within 90 days of the final hearing, the city agencies must issue a report detailing common issues raised and a plan for addressing them.
Burgos described the hearings as “performative” and in service of justifying the mayor’s campaign promises.
“He’s clearly trying to build a narrative for a rent freeze,” he said. “The data is not going to support a rent freeze, and he knows that, so he needs to create a public campaign of vibes instead of real numbers.”
Mamdani also signed orders that continued initiatives started under the Adams administration. One such order creates a task force to study ways to speed up affordable housing construction, similar to the goals of one launched by the Adams administration. Another task force will identify city-owned or controlled sites where housing can be built. Adams issued a similar order in 2024.
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