NYC Renters Could Soon Get Doorstep Help Organizing Against Landlords

NEW YORK, NY— Mayor Zohran Mamdani launched a citywide tenant outreach campaign aimed at helping renters organize in buildings with repeated housing violations and connect with resources to address unsafe conditions.

The initiative, called “Talk to Tenants,” will send volunteers door to door in apartment buildings with histories of housing problems to inform residents of their rights and provide information about tenant organizing.

The campaign began in East Harlem, Washington Heights, Inwood and Flatbush, with plans to expand across all five boroughs.

The campaign is a partnership between the Mayor’s Office of Mass Engagement and the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants.

Volunteers will visit buildings where renters have reported ongoing issues and connect tenants with:

• Information about their right to organize
• Tenant organizing resources
• Training opportunities
• City programs designed to address housing concerns

City officials said the goal is to help renters work together rather than address building problems individually.

“When neighbors organize, they have the power to hold landlords accountable and win safe, dignified housing,” Mamdani said.

The effort follows Mamdani’s Rental Ripoff hearings, where tenants across New York City described problems including mold, pests, broken elevators, heating outages and long-delayed repairs.

The administration said the new campaign is designed to turn those complaints into collective action by helping tenants form stronger connections with their neighbors.

In addition to door-to-door outreach, the City will host NYC 101 workshops focused on tenant organizing.

The workshops will cover:

• How tenant associations work
• How renters can organize within their buildings
• How collective action can improve housing conditions

Scheduled workshops include:

• Aug. 12 — Lower Manhattan
• Aug. 19 — Prospect Heights
• Sept. 16 — Flatbush
• Sept. 24 — East Harlem
• Sept. 30 — Washington Heights

More information on registration can be found here.

The administration said the program is part of a broader housing agenda focused on tenant protections and affordable housing.

The initiative builds on Mamdani’s housing plan, “Block by Block: The Housing Plan for a New Era,” which includes expanding tenant outreach, improving responses to housing complaints and increasing coordination between city agencies and organized tenants.

Officials said the campaign will continue through the summer and early fall, with future outreach planned in neighborhoods across New York City.