Plans show protections for NYC’s most vulnerable residents and renters.
Adding to NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s efforts to tackle affordable housing, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) hosted a press briefing for local media detailing how it will move to more aggressive actions in dealing with critical issues in affordable housing.
Led by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) commissioner, Dina Levy explained that the Mamdani Administration “stands with tenants.” Pointing to the agency’s central priority⸺strengthening enforcement mechanisms against property owners with longstanding, troubling records⸺they plan to implement more strategic punishment and litigation approaches.
“Some landlords are professional slumlords,” said Levy who carries a background in both the non-profit sector and serving in several state roles to address affordable housing. To deal with negligent landlords more effectively, deputy commissioner, Ann Marie Santiago, discussed exploring expanded enforcement pathways, such as using criminal and civil litigation strategies to “apply pressure” on bad actors.
According to the landlord watchlist on the page of NYC public advocate Jumaane Williams, the top violator of slumlords is Margaret Brunn. She is the president of A&E Real Estate Management that owns the venture, 41-25 CASE STREET, LLC. The limited liability company has been cited for 331 HPD violations for the 109 units they own and manage.
Coming in second is WOODRUFF AVENUE, LLC, owned by Brunn. The firm is recorded to have 308 HPD violations for 42 units. However, Brunn owns other buildings and her investments are connected with an equally offensive violator, Donald Hastings. In all, Brunn acquired a record-setting 4,872 open violations in 2024 and 2025.
Brunn might be an exceptional case, but in NYC, slumlords plague affordable housing. Yet, New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is noted as the worst negligent landlord with over an estimated $78 billion in repairs for 612,000 open work orders that need to be addressed.
Additional preservation strategies were also discussed for properties with long-term histories of neglect, including pathways toward new ownership opportunities and preservation buyer collaborations involving both nonprofit and for-profit entities.
One initiative recently announced is turning a city-owned parking lot located at 570 Eldert Lane to 213 affordable units. Of those, 66 apartments will be set aside for formerly homeless residents. It is a public-private partnership between Thorobird Companies, Slate Property Group, Bangladeshi American Community Development & Youth Services and Goldman Sachs. A bonus to this development, if it goes through, is the starting rent of $700. Another contracted new build is a 260-unit in the Bronx through a collaborative partnership.
The briefing also highlighted broader housing development and preservation concerns across New York City. Michael Sandler talked about the “Speed Initiative,” which aims to streamline development phases in order to build cost-effective housing in a more “environmentally faster” and efficient manner. Agency staffers noted that the estimated cost to build a single housing unit in NYC is currently around $800,000, prompting broader questions regarding cost drivers, state-level assistance, and affordability impacts in communities such as Harlem and the Bronx.
With the developments in Mamdani’s efforts to reduce city costs while dissipating pressure for the average New Yorker to live in quality, cost-friendly housing, one critical area is repair for residents harmed from years of mistreatment. One important policy question raised by Ark Republic during the session concerned whether portions of large landlord negligence penalties, such as the recent $31 million judgment from Robert Fulton Terrace and Fordham Towers in the Bronx, could be used for structural repairs, as well as directly reimbursing tenants for documented personal financial losses related to landlord neglect. These damages include mold remediation, spoiled groceries, and exorbitant heating expenses. In response, Dina stated that they support tenants, but a clear plan for restitution was absent.
To enhance protections for renters moving forward, HPD staff outlined various tenant-focused enforcement processes. Landlords are now banned from making unwarranted buy-out offers to intimidate tenants and are required to provide cash settlements for renters relocating from poor-quality housing. Additionally, there is a strong emphasis on compliance, including requests for rent reductions and improved access to legal assistance for matters like foreclosure interventions involving Fannie Mae. Another initiative aims to simplify the screening and income verification process through “waterfall” documentation systems for tenants.
While the road to fix generations of affordable housing is long, the Mamdani Administration is already implementing creative initiatives for complex problems.
