New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, after being sworn in, quickly began enacting new policies focused on landlords and housing. He stated the city will intervene in a bankruptcy case involving a landlord connected to many buildings, calling it an unprecedented step.
“Today marks a fresh start for New York City,” Mamdani announced, emphasizing the importance of the day.
Speaking from a Brooklyn apartment building, Mamdani portrayed these actions as a test of the city’s willingness to challenge landlords on housing conditions and to get involved in legal matters that could affect whether people stay in their homes.
Mamdani expressed concern for New Yorkers returning to apartments with unresolved maintenance issues, rising rents, and problems like pests and lack of heating.
The mayor emphasized that his administration “will not wait to take action” and will support the city’s renters.
Mamdani introduced three housing-related executive orders, starting with bringing back the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants. This office will focus on handling complaints and ensuring landlords are held responsible for unsafe living conditions.
“We will ensure that violations are resolved,” Mamdani stated, promising to hold “bad landlords” accountable for putting tenants at risk.
The second order creates a task force to find city-owned land that can be used for building more housing. The third order aims to speed up the process of approving new housing developments by removing obstacles.
Both task forces will be overseen by the Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning, Lila Joseph.
“These are big steps, but just the start of our commitment to helping renters,” Mamdani said.
Earlier, Mamdani signed an order canceling previous executive orders made by the former mayor, unless they are specifically reissued by his administration.
Mamdani made his announcement at a rent-stabilized building, citing issues like roaches and lack of heat.
Mamdani claimed the building is linked to a landlord with a portfolio in bankruptcy, and the buildings have many open safety violations and complaints.
“This situation is not acceptable,” Mamdani stated. “We are stepping into the bankruptcy case to represent the city and the renters.”
He has instructed his choice for corporation counsel to take what he described as a “precedent-setting action” in the case.
Mamdani stated that the city is owed money and will fight for “safe homes” while working to reduce the risk of tenants being displaced.
A tenant at the event spoke about the unsafe conditions in the building, including a section of floor that had not been fixed for years.
“When they filed for bankruptcy, they gambled on making our housing less affordable and our lives more difficult,” the tenant said.
The mayor said these actions represent a more proactive use of executive power on housing matters, starting on his first day.
