NEW YORK, NY— The City released a sweeping housing enforcement report Thursday after months of Rental Ripoff Hearings, outlining a plan to change how the city investigates unsafe apartments, penalizes repeat violations and protects renters facing unresolved housing problems.
The report, based on testimony from 2,419 New Yorkers, comes after tenants described apartments without heat, mold hidden behind walls, broken elevators, delayed repairs and landlord harassment.
The City receives more than 750,000 housing-related complaints each year, but many tenants say inspections often do not lead to lasting repairs.
A new housing enforcement plan from Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration would overhaul how the city investigates complaints, tracks repeat violations and responds to buildings with long-running problems.
The plan would change how inspectors handle heat complaints, increase penalties for landlords who fail to make repairs and create new ways for tenants to organize.
The proposal comes after thousands of renters told city officials about conditions they say have persisted despite repeated complaints.
The city’s Rental Ripoff Hearings collected testimony from 2,419 New Yorkers who described problems including apartments without heat, mold hidden behind walls, broken elevators and repairs that did not solve underlying issues.
“We've already started conversations with City Council members around the aspects of this report that require legislative action,” Mamdani said.
“There are other aspects of this report that can begin immediately, and we are going to look to take as fast of an approach as we can with every single recommendation that is here.”
The proposed changes would roll out over three years, with some programs beginning as early as fall 2026.
Over the past three years, complaints about apartments without heat or hot water accounted for 35 percent of all housing maintenance calls made through 311.
Since 2023, the city has received more than 225,000 complaints each year involving missing heat or hot water.
The report found many complaints came from the same buildings, showing that some tenants repeatedly lose essential services while certain landlords accumulate violations.
Beginning with the October 2026 heat season, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development plans to inspect every apartment connected to a nonanonymous heat complaint.
Currently, inspectors may treat complaints from neighboring apartments as duplicates if multiple tenants report the same issue.
The new approach would send inspectors directly into each apartment tied to a complaint.
The City reports the change would help officials identify whether heat failures affect individual units or entire buildings.
Starting October 2026:
A new program called Fix the City would target buildings that repeatedly cycle through violations, emergency repairs and legal proceedings without reaching long-term stability.
Instead of treating every complaint as a separate problem, the City would examine the entire building and the financial conditions behind it.
The program would focus on properties with patterns of:
Under the proposal, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development would conduct scheduled building-wide inspections, use emergency repair authority when dangerous conditions are found, bring broader Housing Court cases and review both building conditions and the finances behind troubled properties.
The agency could also seek ownership transfers when officials determine that current owners cannot or will not stabilize their buildings.
HPD plans to launch Fix the City by the end of 2026 and investigate at least 10 housing portfolios with long histories of serious violations.
The program would:
The housing plan creates a framework that separates landlords into two categories: those who maintain buildings and work with tenants, and those who repeatedly fail to address serious problems.
The administration describes “High Road” landlords as owners who maintain properties, communicate with tenants, work with government agencies and invest in long-term building stability.
The report describes “Low Road” landlords as owners who rely on repeated violations, excessive debt, fraudulent certifications, displacement tactics or neglect.
The categories would not create a legal designation, but they would influence how the city approaches enforcement.
Landlords who cooperate with agencies could receive support through preservation financing, building assistance programs and help resolving financial problems.
Owners with repeated violations could face more aggressive enforcement, including portfolio investigations, higher penalties, property liens and lawsuits.
Some property owners say the City’s proposed enforcement changes do not distinguish between landlords who neglect their buildings and smaller owners who work to maintain them.
Ann Korchak, board president of the Small Property Owners of New York, said many small landlords personally manage their buildings and rely on rental income to pay for repairs and upkeep.
“Small building owners, including mom-and-pop, immigrant and multigenerational owners, are the backbone of New York City’s affordable housing stock,” Korchak said.
She said many small property owners have invested family savings and decades of work into their buildings and worry that tougher enforcement could make it harder to stay in the market.
Korchak also criticized the city’s Rental Ripoff Hearings, saying small landlords were unfairly portrayed.
“The Rental Ripoff Hearings was a rigged political show designed to attack small owners while ignoring the damage being done to rent-stabilized buildings,” she said.
Mamdani said the administration recognizes that not all landlords operate the same way and said many owners face financial challenges that affect their ability to maintain buildings.
“There are many good landlords, and in fact, my former landlord was one of them before I moved into where I currently live at Gracie Mansion,” Mamdani said.
Mamdani said one challenge facing landlords, especially those operating affordable housing, is the rising cost of insurance.
He said insurance costs have increased dramatically for some property owners, sometimes increasing 100 percent.
To address those costs, Mamdani said the City is developing a new insurance program aimed at giving landlords a lower-cost option.
Mamdani said the City is creating a first-of-its-kind, city-backed insurance fund that would invest $100 million over three years to give landlords a more affordable alternative to rising insurance costs.
He said lowering insurance expenses could help owners put more resources toward maintaining their buildings.
“This comes back to the fact that when we talk about an affordability agenda, we're not picking and choosing as to who it's for,” Mamdani said. “We're looking to address costs for every New Yorker, and that also includes insurance costs for landlords.”
The City reports existing penalties often fail to force repairs because some landlords treat fines as a routine cost of doing business.
The proposed changes would increase financial pressure on owners who leave dangerous conditions unresolved.
The plan includes recurring penalties, stronger debt collection and expanded use of property liens.
Currently, the Department of Buildings generally issues one-time penalties for certain hazardous violations.
The administration wants authority to impose penalties that continue until owners complete required repairs.
The City also wants the ability to place liens on properties when unpaid housing violation penalties reach $25,000.
A lien would not transfer ownership, but it could affect a property’s sale, refinancing options and financial future.
The administration also wants agencies to coordinate more closely on unpaid housing debts.
The Law Department, HPD, the Department of Buildings, the Department of Finance and the Health Department would work together to collect penalties and push owners to complete repairs.
A lien can:
The City wants to create a formal process for recognizing tenant organizations and giving renters a stronger role in building decisions.
Tenants already have the right to organize, but landlords generally are not required to formally recognize tenant associations.
The proposal would create rules for:
Mamdani said organized tenants could address repairs, services and building conditions collectively instead of filing separate complaints.
For landlords, the change could create a single point of contact with residents while adding new negotiation responsibilities.
Many renters told city officials that inspections often fail because tenants are unavailable when inspectors arrive.
Some complaints close because inspectors cannot enter apartments, leaving residents frustrated even when problems remain.
Tenants can request another appointment, but many residents do not know that option exists.
Beginning in fall 2026, tenants who provide a phone number when filing a 311 complaint are expected to receive text messages explaining how to schedule inspections.
HPD plans to eventually create an online scheduling system connected to those messages.
The goal is to reduce complaints that close simply because inspectors cannot access apartments.
Starting fall 2026:
The City wants to expand the list of housing problems that tenants can use when defending themselves in eviction cases.
New York law allows tenants to raise certain serious housing conditions as a defense in nonpayment eviction proceedings.
These conditions are known as rent-impairing violations.
The administration says the current system does not reflect many problems renters face today.
In June 2026, the city had about 160,000 open rent-impairing violations.
The official list of qualifying violations includes 75 categories and has not been updated since 1992.
The City wants to review that list and consider adding newer health and safety concerns, including mold and other conditions that can affect residents.
The proposal would:
The administration says expanding the list would give tenants more information and stronger legal tools when landlords fail to correct dangerous conditions.
The proposal would not allow renters to stop paying rent automatically.
Tenants would still need to follow legal procedures and raise their claims through the court system.
Tenant harassment remains one of the most common complaints reported to city officials.
From 2020 through 2025, the Tenant Helpline received 16,122 harassment-related calls, accounting for 17 percent of all conversations.
Renters reported problems including pressure to leave apartments, intimidation, illegal actions and attempts to force them out of regulated units.
Under state law, harassment of rent-regulated tenants can lead to criminal penalties, but proving cases can be difficult.
The administration plans to create a digital guide explaining how renters can document harassment and report violations.
The city also plans outreach focused on immigration-related harassment and scams involving people pretending to be HPD inspectors.
The City’s housing plan would also target problems renters face before they sign a lease.
Mamdani said the report found some apartment listings use altered images, misleading advertisements or fake availability to attract renters.
The report highlights concerns about digitally edited or AI-generated photos that make apartments appear different from reality.
It also describes “bait” listings that advertise apartments that are unavailable and redirect renters toward other units or fees.
The Department of Consumer and Worker Protection plans to create rules requiring disclosures when rental images have been digitally altered.
After the rulemaking process, the city says it will work with rental platforms, including StreetEasy and Zillow, on enforcement.
The proposal does not yet specify how altered images would be identified or what penalties would apply.
Many New York landlords require applicants to show annual income equal to 40 times the monthly rent and pass a credit check.
The administration says requiring both standards can create barriers for some renters, including voucher holders and people leaving shelters.
The City wants legislation that would require landlords to choose between two screening methods:
The proposal would not eliminate financial screening.
Instead, it would give applicants another option for showing they can afford an apartment.
As more buildings use individually metered electric systems for heating and hot water, some renters say they are discovering unexpected costs after moving in.
Tenants told city officials they were sometimes unaware that they would be responsible for paying electricity bills tied to essential services such as heating and hot water.
The administration wants to create standardized utility disclosures that explain which services tenants are responsible for paying, what those utilities power, how usage is measured, how shutoffs are handled and how residents can file complaints.
The proposal would mainly apply to market-rate rentals.
City officials say clearer information would help renters better understand their total housing costs before signing a lease.
Owners of buildings with three or more apartments currently submit annual registration information and pay a $13 fee.
The City wants to modernize the system by:
Officials say better ownership information would help agencies deliver violations, collect penalties and reach responsible owners faster.
The City often relies on mailed notices or building postings, which can delay repairs when officials cannot quickly identify the person responsible.
The housing plan also includes efforts to prevent eviction cases that the administration says could be avoided.
City officials say some eviction proceedings begin because of administrative delays, including problems processing rental vouchers or emergency rental assistance payments.
The Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants plans to create an Eviction Diversion Working Group with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the Department of Social Services and other agencies.
The group would look at ways to help tenants avoid unnecessary eviction filings, speed up delayed payments to landlords, improve access to rental assistance and reduce the number of cases that reach Housing Court.
The administration describes the housing plan as a three-year rollout, with some changes beginning in 2026.
In fall 2026, tenants are expected to begin receiving text instructions when inspectors cannot complete apartment visits, and the Bronx is expected to launch coordinated enforcement days targeting housing violations.
Beginning in October 2026, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development plans to inspect individual apartments connected to nonanonymous heat complaints instead of automatically treating nearby complaints as duplicates.
By the end of 2026, the Fix the City program is expected to launch, with the city investigating at least 10 housing portfolios with longstanding violations.
Other proposals would require approval from the City Council, public hearings, agency rulemaking and additional funding before they can take effect.
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