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Mamdani plan targets rental complaints including pests and broken heat
The administration will require inspectors to investigate every complaint starting in October, and it plans to separate repeated issues in the same building into individual potential violations.
Commercial Observer reports that Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration released a report on the findings from the city’s Rental Ripoff hearings and outlined steps to address long-running problems faced by tenants and landlords.
According to the report, among 2,400 participants, 16% complained of pest infestations and issues including mold, heat, hot water, and broken elevators. The administration also said many tenants reported fear of landlord or building-manager retaliation after raising grievances.
Commercial Observer adds that one of the proposed changes is requiring inspectors to attempt to launch an investigation on every complaint starting in October for the upcoming building heating season. The report also says complaints from multiple apartments in the same building would be treated as individual potential violations, rather than being grouped together.
The administration plans further accountability steps, including addressing how false self-certification may have contributed to under-enforcement, with Commercial Observer citing figures that up to 32% of violations were allegedly self-certified despite hearings suggesting problems persisted. The city will also seek more coordinated approaches between relevant agencies, such as aligning pest-related enforcement across HPD and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and set clearer required timelines to remedy issues.