Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Housing Court judges to expedite cases involving vacate orders, immediately hazardous conditions and the appointment of new building management
Fast track will help tenants return home faster after disasters and advance the “Fix the City” initiative to take on city’s worst landlords
NEW YORK – 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.
The administrative order creating the fast track applies to:
• Housing Part (“HP”) cases with one or more of the following conditions:
1. A vacate order affecting one-third or more of the apartments in a building, or the entire building;
2. 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
3. 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.
August 25, 2026
Housing Court judges to expedite cases involving vacate orders, immediately hazardous conditions and the appointment of new building management
Fast track will help tenants return home faster after disasters and advance the “Fix the City” initiative to take on city’s worst landlords
NEW YORK – 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.
The administrative order creating the fast track applies to:
• Housing Part (“HP”) cases with one or more of the following conditions:
1. A vacate order affecting one-third or more of the apartments in a building, or the entire building;
2. 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
3. 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.
August 25, 2026
