Tenants in five East Harlem buildings won half a million dollars in back rent and repairs, in a settlement with their landlord over poor housing conditions. They now hope other tenants across the city can learn from their organizing.
Management was unresponsive to tenants’ repeated asks for help with repairs, they said. When landlords don’t make repairs, tenants can legally withhold rent until they address it, setting the funds aside.
The set of five buildings had 523 open housing code violations for 142 units, which is more than four violations per unit. (Photo by Adi Talwar/City Limits)
Residents banded together and worked with a local organizing group. They began meeting regularly, laying out demands, documenting all the problems with the building and calling the city’s 311 line. Then they sued in May 2024.
The strength of tenants is in numbers. By the end of a 16-month strike, 50 tenants in the building were withholding rent and demanding repairs.
In the middle of the rent strike, the building foreclosed, and the court appointed a receiver to manage the building. As part of the settlement, which Legal Services NYC began negotiating with Emerald Equities and completed with the receiver, residents will receive six months rent credit, and pay back the rest they withheld on strike. The receiver is legally obligated to use the remaining settlement money and future rent proceeds to fund repairs.
Mayor-elect Mamdani has promised to reactivate the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, among other changes. (Photo by Ron Adar / Shutterstock.com)
The incoming Mamdani administration has signaled seriousness about enforcing the city’s housing code and rooting out bad landlords, and some advocates hope that it will be a boon for tenant organizing in the city.
Mamdani has promised to reactivate the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, which has been largely dormant under Mayor Eric Adams. Mamdani’s plan would increase fines for hazardous violations, consolidate code enforcement, and have the city step in to take buildings in disrepair from bad landlords and give them to community groups.
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