REBNY Slams Rental Ripoff Report as Painting Industry with “Broad Brush”

Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday issued the Rental Ripoff Report, a package of 23 tenant protection recommendations. The Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) responded with a statement from President James Whelan saying that the administration “continues to paint property owners with a broad brush, unfairly characterizing an entire industry.”

The recommendations, derived from public hearings the Mamdani administration held citywide earlier this year, include: recognizing tenant unions, expanding tenants’ ability to organize and bargain collectively over building conditions and other shared concerns; requiring landlords to disclose when rental listings have been altered using artificial intelligence or other digital tools; modernizing building owner registration and communication systems; and using the city’s full enforcement authority to crack down on “repeat-offender” landlords through inspections, enforcement programs and litigation.

“At Rental Ripoff Hearings across the five boroughs, we heard from thousands of New Yorkers living with mold that was never treated, pests that were never addressed and fees that were never explained,” Mamdani said Thursday. However, Whelan pointed out, “many of the reported conditions are concentrated in heavily rent-stabilized buildings that are facing significant operational and financial challenges.”

A REBNY study released in February reported that although apartment buildings with 75% to 100% rent-stabilized units make up just 2% of the city’s housing stock, they account for 57% of buildings with at least 10 Class C violations.

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