NYC Reaches $2.1M Settlement With A&E Real Estate Over Harassment and 4,000 Housing‑Code Violations
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a $2.1 million settlement with A&E Real Estate covering 14 residential buildings in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens, which officials say will force long‑delayed repairs and bar further tenant harassment. Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Dina Levy said the deal, HPD’s largest settlement to date, affects roughly 750 tenants and legally compels A&E to correct more than 4,000 Housing Code violations and comply with existing court‑ordered repairs. Mamdani accused the landlord of years of 'callous disregard' for residents, noting the company has amassed about 140,000 total violations, including 35,000 in the past year alone, and vowed the administration will hold law‑breaking owners accountable. At the announcement, tenant Diana De La Paz described 'nightmare' conditions in her building, including months‑long elevator outages that she said effectively trapped elderly and disabled residents, heat problems and infestations. The settlement also includes binding injunctions aimed at preventing future harassment and allows the city to escalate to more aggressive tools — including intervention in distressed buildings or taking properties out of an owner’s control — if A&E fails to comply.
📌 Key Facts
- NYC reached a $2.1 million settlement with A&E Real Estate covering 14 buildings in three boroughs.
- HPD Commissioner Dina Levy says the agreement affects about 750 tenants and mandates correction of more than 4,000 Housing Code violations.
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani said A&E has accumulated roughly 140,000 total violations, including 35,000 in the last year, and called the case HPD’s largest settlement yet.
- The settlement includes injunctions prohibiting tenant harassment and requiring sustained code‑compliance, with the threat of further city intervention if A&E fails to comply.
- Tenant Diana De La Paz described prolonged elevator outages, heat problems and infestations, saying elderly and disabled tenants were 'effectively imprisoned' in their homes.
📊 Relevant Data
In 2017, 42% of rent-stabilized tenants in New York City were Hispanic, compared to 28% of private non-regulated tenants, indicating an overrepresentation relative to the overall NYC population where Hispanics comprise about 29%.
Sociodemographics of Rent Stabilized Tenants — NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development
In 2017, the median household income for rent-stabilized tenants in NYC was $44,560, compared to $67,000 for private non-regulated tenants, with 20% of rent-stabilized tenants below the poverty line versus 13% for non-regulated.
Sociodemographics of Rent Stabilized Tenants — NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development
In 2023, Jackson Heights, Queens, had a population where 64.6% identified as Hispanic, 14.8% as Asian, 5.9% as Black, and 11.4% as White, with the neighborhood experiencing increased diversity due to high foreign-born population (over 50% since the 2000s).
Jackson Heights Neighborhood Profile — NYU Furman Center
Tenant harassment in NYC rent-stabilized buildings often aims to force out tenants to allow landlords to deregulate units and charge higher market rents, with tactics including interrupting services and repeated baseless evictions.
Tenant Harassment — New York State Attorney General
In 2025, 38% of Latino New Yorkers and 29% of Black New Yorkers live in rent-regulated apartments, higher than rates for White and Asian New Yorkers, against a city population where Latinos are 28.7% and Blacks 22.7%.
Testimony: The Rent Guidelines Board's Data Supports a Rent Freeze in 2025 — Community Service Society of New York
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