Landlord‑Tenant Law and Public Nuisance

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Thursday that Bronx Supreme Court has imposed more than $2.1 million in civil penalties so far against landlord Seth Miller over years of uncorrected housing code violations at 919 Prospect Avenue, declaring the building a public nuisance and ordering $1,000‑per‑day fines dating back to April 21, 2019. Mamdani called it a “landmark victory,” saying it is the first time a court has applied the maximum civil penalties available under the city’s Nuisance Abatement Law to a landlord, and he warned other owners that the judgment will serve as a precedent for similar actions. Tenants at the building have faced infestations of mice, rats and cockroaches, leaking pipes, collapsed ceilings, black mold and lead paint since Miller bought the property in 2011, according to the mayor’s remarks. Corporation counsel Steven Banks declined to detail how the city would respond if Miller tries to use bankruptcy to avoid compliance, saying only that officials have “multiple ways forward” and will be ready. Mamdani also said the city has earmarked more than $85 million in its preliminary budget to hire 200 additional attorneys and 100 support staff for the Law Department to step up housing enforcement, alongside new LIFT and SPEED task forces aimed at speeding construction and better using city‑owned land for housing, underscoring an aggressive shift in City Hall’s posture toward negligent landlords.