PROTECTING TENANTS FROM RENTAL RIPOFFS AND ABUSIVE LANDLORD PRACTICES
WHEREAS, the majority of New Yorkers are tenants who are entitled to safe and habitable homes, free from unsafe living conditions; and
WHEREAS, negligent and dishonest landlords must no longer endanger the health and safety of New Yorkers through hazardous code violations, untimely repairs, repeated noncompliance, and unlawful fees and price-gouging; and
WHEREAS, many tenants face abusive landlord practices such as deceptive or hidden fees, retaliation for advocating for their rights, poor housing conditions, economic discrimination, abusive eviction practices, or neglect of needed repairs; and
WHEREAS, such practices threaten New Yorkers’ rights as tenants and consumers and make the City less affordable, less safe, and less healthy for all; and
WHEREAS, abusive practices in the rental market hurt the economy of the entire City, threaten the ability of New Yorkers to thrive, and can harm honest entities and businesses; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary for the City to coordinate across agencies to protect tenants and improve housing quality by using all available tools to enforce housing and consumer protection laws;
NOW, THEREFORE, by the power vested in me as Mayor of the City of New York, it is hereby ordered:
Section 1. Establishment of “Rental Ripoff” Hearings. The Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants (“MOPT”), the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (“HPD”), the Department of Buildings (“DOB”), and the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (“DCWP”), in coordination with the Office of Mass Engagement (“OME”), shall organize and conduct a series of public hearings to hear from tenants, tenant organizations, social services agencies, advocacy organizations, legal service providers, landlords, property managers, and other members of the public about illegal, unfair, abusive, deceptive, or unconscionable landlord practices as well as operational improvements that the City should adopt to strengthen housing and building code enforcement. MOPT, HPD, DOB, and DCWP shall conduct at least one hearing in each of the five boroughs; the hearings shall occur within one hundred days of the date of this order.
§ 2. Agency cooperation. All mayoral agencies with relevant expertise or at the request of MOPT, including, but not limited to the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement, and the Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics, shall cooperate with the MOPT, HPD, DOB, and DCWP to facilitate and coordinate these hearings. MOPT shall request the participation of the New York City Commission on Human Rights at such hearings.
§ 3. Public report. Within ninety days of the last hearing, MOPT, HPD, DOB, and DCWP shall submit a joint summary and report to the Mayor detailing common themes and problems raised by the public at the hearings. The report shall also propose a plan for the City to address harmful landlord practices through existing enforcement powers, improved housing and building code enforcement, consumer protection powers, and policy changes. Such plan shall be designed to ensure that violations are logged and corrected on a significantly faster timeline, and shall include, but not be limited to, enhanced coordination among agencies and between agencies and the public. Such a report shall be posted on MOPT, HPD, DOB, and DCWP’s publicly accessible webpage.
§ 4. Enforcement Priorities. All mayoral agencies, including, but not limited to, MOPT, HPD, DCWP, DOB, and the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement shall prioritize the faithful enforcement of laws protecting tenants and the provision of relief to those wronged or harmed by abusive landlord practices. Such agencies shall engage the New York City Commission on Human Rights as required to ensure compliance with the New York City Human Rights Law.
§ 5. This order shall take effect immediately.
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Zohran Kwame Mamdani
Mayor