New York City Housing Enforcement

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.