Sworn in at midnight and again hours later in public, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani used his first day in office on Thursday to begin new executive orders targeting city landlords and housing development. And he said the city would take what he called “precedent-setting actions” to intervene in a private landlord bankruptcy case he said was related to 93 buildings.
“Today is the beginning of a new era for New York City,” Mamdani said. “It’s inauguration day. It’s also the day the rent is due.”
Speaking at an apartment building in Brooklyn, Mamdani framed the moves as an early test of whether city government will confront landlords directly about housing conditions and enter into lawsuits that could determine whether tenants stay in their homes.
Mamdani said New Yorkers who attended his inauguration are returning to apartments where, he said, “bad landlords don’t make repairs,” rents are rising, and residents are dealing with problems like bed bugs and lack of heat.
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announces his first executive orders on Thursday.
The mayor said the new administration “will not wait to act” and will “stand up for the tenants of this city.”
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Mamdani announced three housing-related executive orders, starting with the revival of the City’s Tenant Protection Office, which he said will focus on resolving complaints and holding landlords accountable for dangerous conditions.
“We will ensure that 311 violations are addressed,” Mamdani said, adding that the administration would hold “slumlords” accountable for “dangerous and dangerous threats” to tenants’ well-being.
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Mamdani said the second executive order creates a LIFT task force, or land inventory effort, aimed at leveraging city-owned land and accelerating housing development. He said the task force will review city-owned properties and identify suitable sites for housing development by July 1.
The third executive order creates a SPEED task force, which Mamdani said stands for Streamlining Procedures to Expedite Equitable Development. He said the task force will work to remove permitting barriers that slow down housing construction.
Both task forces will be overseen by Deputy Mayor for Housing and Urban Planning Lila Joseph, he said.
“These are comprehensive measures, but it is only the beginning of a comprehensive effort to support the cause of tenants,” Mamdani said.
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Earlier in the day, Mamdani signed executive order no. 1, which revoked all previous mayoral executive orders under former Mayor Eric Adams issued on or after September 26, 2024, unless specifically reissued by Mamdani’s administration.
Mamdani signed a second executive order establishing the structure of his administration, including five deputy mayors and their oversight responsibilities.
The mayor made the announcement at 85 Clarkson Ave., a rent-stabilized building he said is owned by Pinnacle Realty, which he described as a “notorious landlord.”
Mamdani said tenants in the building have faced problems, including cockroaches and a lack of heat.
Mamdani said the property is one of 93 properties connected to the same owner, and the portfolio is in bankruptcy proceedings.
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The mayor said the buildings would be auctioned off to another owner, who he claimed was No. 6 on New York City’s worst landlord list, adding that the buildings shared more than 5,000 hazardous violations and 14,000 complaints.
“This is an unbearable situation,” Mamdani said. “So today we are announcing that we will take action in the bankruptcy and step in to represent the interests of the city and the interests of the tenants.”
Mamdani said he had directed his nominee for corporation counsel, Steve Banks, to take what he called “precedent-setting steps” in the case.
“We are a creditor and a stakeholder,” Mamdani said, adding that the city is owed money and will fight for “safe and livable homes” while working to “mitigate the significant risk of displacement” tenants face.
A tenant speaker at the event described the unsafe conditions in the Pinnacle buildings and said a section of hardwood flooring in the speaker’s mother’s apartment had gone unrepaired for seven years.
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“When they filed for bankruptcy this spring, Pinnacle gambled on making our homes less affordable and our lives more miserable,” the speaker said.
The mayor said the moves mark the start of a more aggressive use of executive power on housing issues, starting on his first day in office.
Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Source of the original article: Hours after taking office, NYC Mayor Mamdani targets landlords, moves to intervene in private bankruptcy case