On Thursday night, over 200 tenants crowded into a Brooklyn high school gymnasium, carrying a list of grievances against their landlords. Having survived bouts of harassment, vermin infestations, and dangerous living conditions, tenants were eager to sound off at the Mamdani administration’s first “Rental Ripoff” hearing.
Held at George Westinghouse High School in Downtown Brooklyn, the event was advertised as an opportunity for tenants to engage in one-on-one conversations with City officials. Through those conversations, slated to be held in all five boroughs, tenants would be able to shape the city’s future housing policy.
Since 2021, the number of active eviction cases in New York City housing court has risen by more than 440%, from approximately 33,000 cases to 177,000 cases in 2025. With eviction rates soaring as high as 1,500 evictions a month in 2025, and complaints against landlords regarding heat and hot water ballooning to over 200,000 complaints annually, addressing housing concerns has become a paramount issue for the Mamdani administration.
Upon arrival, participants were gathered underneath bright fluorescent lights in the school’s gymnasium and then asked to take a number. While they waited for their number to be called, tenants were encouraged to interact with various bulletin boards placed along the walls that asked them about ways to improve housing. Across the hall, in the school’s cafeteria, a resource fair was held, providing information on how to access various city agencies.
When a tenant’s number was called, they would enter a smaller room where they would give individual testimony to staff members of city agencies such as the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB), New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), and the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP).
One of those attendees was Jennifer Prince, a 65-year-old immigrant from Guyana. She came to the event seeking assistance with her landlord, who she claims is refusing to collect her rent in an effort to evict her from her rent-stabilized apartment in East Flatbush.
“I’m paying my rent on time, but my landlord is holding on to my rent and says he’s never received my rent,” she said in an interview with Documented. “So they’re trying to push me out because I’m rent stabilized and I’ve been there 24 years now.”
In her testimony, she told city officials that her landlord attempted to illegally enter her apartment twice.
“He tried to force his way into my apartment by putting his foot in the door,” she said.
When asked what city agency she spoke to, she wasn’t sure. Nor was she sure if they were going to follow up with her.
“I hope they were typing what I was saying,” she said. “I would think so because if they’re here to help, I would hope that they’re doing the right thing.”
Still, Prince remained hopeful that things would work out.
“Listen, since we have this new mayor, I’m hopeful, because I feel like he’s one of us,” she said.
Judeth Douglas, a 60-year-old immigrant from Saint Vincent, says that since her landlord purchased her East Flatbush apartment building in 2012, he has allowed the building to deteriorate. She claims that for several months she had to endure freezing temperatures because the landlord refused to replace the broken boiler.
“It’s been very cold, very, very cold,” she said. “We had no heat in October, November, December, and into January. We’re calling 311 constantly. There is no heat, and there are babies in the building. People cannot sleep. … We are paying for the place.”
In addition to the lack of heat, Douglas says that tenants have also had to contend with vermin infestations.
“There’s roaches and mice in the apartment, and the landlord does absolutely nothing,” she said.
Although she gave testimony, Douglas says she has grown exhausted in seeking help from city agencies.
“It’s frustrating,” she said. “And 311 is a waste of time. HPD is a waste of time. DSC is a waste of time. The organization that’s here is supposed to help the tenants, and all they do is give the tenants grief because they do nothing. It’s a revolving door over and over.”
Regardless of her past experience, Douglas, like Prince, refuses to be pessimistic.
“You have to always have faith, even if it’s as small as a mustard seed,” she said. “You have to have faith and always ask for an open heart and an open mind.”
Not everyone was as optimistic about the event. Angelina Landeress, 32, says she was disappointed with the format, hoping the event would be more of a call to action and less of a resource fair.
“I voted for Mamdani, and I voted for him because, obviously, the affordable housing,” she told Documented. “When I heard about this, I thought this would be a really great opportunity to have tenants come up and share how they feel. … When I found out that it was going to be individual private listening rooms, and it was going to be these boards, I was like, ‘Oh well’.”
For Landeress, who came seeking assistance with her Flatbush landlord, whom she claims is refusing to fix faulty windows and a crumbling firescape, she was disappointed to find out that she was directed to HPD, an agency she has sought help from before to no avail.
“It’s all about when you have a problem, call HPD,” she said. “I’m here to say that HPD is the main issue here. … So, for us, it’s like, this is great, but I want to know how Mamdani is going to handle HPD, because that’s in your control.”
Nearby, Nuratu Otulana, 43, also expressed frustration with the format of the event.
Otulana said she and her son are facing eviction — and with nowhere to go, they are facing imminent homelessness. She was happy to have an opportunity to share her precarious housing situation with city officials, but she felt that the event danced around larger issues.
“We know what the problems are,” she said. “People need housing. Housing is available. Why can’t people live in that housing? I appreciate the opportunity to gather here with different organizations, but what does it amount to, because I actually have to leave my apartment in two days, with no idea where I’m going.”
In attendance was Assemblymember Marcela Mitaynes. A former housing organizer, Mitaynes felt the event represented a shift in how City Hall tackles the housing crisis.
“I think this is a first start,” she told Documented. “The fact that tenants are given a space to be able to talk about their experiences, talk about their issues, talk about their problems, and actually be connected with city agencies — that can actually help.”
She did admit, however, that the format could have been better, pointing out the bulletin boards across the room.
“This is something that the government likes to do, this science fair thing,” she said, adding, “This is the first time they have given any type of space like this. There are a lot of things to fix, but I think the fact that they can actually address some of their issues I think it’s important.”
Near the end of the nearly four-hour event, Cea Weaver, director of the New York City Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, gave a second presentation, outlining what happens next. Over the course of the next 90 days, the mayor will compile a report based on the testimony given during the hearings that will guide his housing policy agenda.
“You know, the mayor is not a dictator,” she told Documented. “He doesn’t get to wave a wand and have something happen. We will then have to go through the traditional process. …But we are, at this stage, looking to seek feedback on what types of things New Yorkers would like to see us prioritize.”
The next hearing will take place on the following dates. The precise locations haven’t been released:
Queens: Long Island City | March 5, 2026
5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Bronx: Fordham | March 11, 2026
5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
你知道吗？非公民办理驾照时的这个错误可能会导致选民欺诈
Manhattan: East Harlem | March 28, 2026
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
2:30 PM – 4:00 PM
4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Staten Island: North Shore | April 7, 2026
5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
To give testimony and find out the exact address of the future Rental Ripoff hearings, you must register in advance. Please click here for more info: https://www.nyc.gov/main/rental-ripoff
