Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Mayor Mamdani Releases “Rental Ripoff Report,” Outlining New Actions to Crack Down on Hazardous Housing Violations and Deceptive Landlord Practices
Administration will require disclosure of AI-altered rental listings, recognize tenant unions and strengthen enforcement against negligent landlords and conditions like mold and pests
Plan includes 23 policy changes to target “repeat-offender” landlords, modernize housing code enforcement, improve oversight of fees and utility charges and better protect tenants
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.
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.
Read the report here:
nyc.gov/assets/tenantprotection/downloads/pdf/rental-ripoffs-hearing-report-072026.pdf
July 16, 2026
Mayor Mamdani Releases “Rental Ripoff Report,” Outlining New Actions to Crack Down on Hazardous Housing Violations and Deceptive Landlord Practices
Administration will require disclosure of AI-altered rental listings, recognize tenant unions and strengthen enforcement against negligent landlords and conditions like mold and pests
Plan includes 23 policy changes to target “repeat-offender” landlords, modernize housing code enforcement, improve oversight of fees and utility charges and better protect tenants
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.
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.
Read the report here:
nyc.gov/assets/tenantprotection/downloads/pdf/rental-ripoffs-hearing-report-072026.pdf
July 16, 2026
