Mamdani Targets Landlords With Biggest Health And Safety Violations In Updated List

NEW YORK, NY— New York City placed its 250 most distressed apartment buildings under stricter oversight, expanding enforcement against landlords with long-standing housing code violations and authorizing the city to step in when repairs go unmet.

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Dina Levy said Sunday the list of buildings entering the Alternative Enforcement Program, which targets properties with persistent and severe violations affecting tenant safety and living conditions, has been updated.

The buildings, spread across all five boroughs, contain 7,038 apartments and account for 54,909 open housing code violations. Owners of the selected properties owe the city nearly $4.5 million for emergency repairs already completed after landlords failed to correct hazardous conditions.

Under the program, now in its 19th year, the city increases inspections, issues Orders to Correct and conducts repairs directly when owners do not act. The city bills landlords for the work and may pursue legal action in Housing Court if violations remain unresolved.

HPD officials said the updated list reflects repeat patterns of disrepair. The building with the highest number of serious violations over the past five years, exceeding 1,000 “B” and “C” violations, is 34-15 Parsons Blvd., owned by a limited liability company within the A&E Real Estate Holdings portfolio.

The enforcement push follows a recent $2.1 million settlement between HPD and A&E Real Estate Holdings covering 14 buildings. The agreement required repairs, compliance with Orders to Correct and injunctions barring tenant harassment.

City officials also pointed to increased enforcement during the winter cold emergency. HPD expanded staffing to respond to roughly 37,000 complaints in January and reported closing 98% of them by early February.

Owners can exit the Alternative Enforcement Program within months if they resolve violations and pay outstanding emergency repair charges or enter a payment agreement with the city. HPD continues monitoring discharged buildings for at least one year, with repeat violations triggering renewed enforcement.

Officials said the program allows the city to concentrate resources on buildings where violations persist, using inspections, repairs and court action to address conditions that have gone unresolved for years.