NYC Moves To Seize Control Of Two Apartment Complexes

NEW YORK, NY — City officials seeks a $31 million court judgment against the owners of two Bronx apartment complexes, marking the largest penalty ever secured by the NYC housing agency, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Wednesday.

The judgment targets conditions at Robert Fulton Terrace and Fordham Towers, where tenants reported years of broken elevators, vermin infestations and repeated lapses in heat and hot water.

“For years, tenants have been forced to live with vermin infestations, chronic elevator outages and a lack of heat and hot water — while their landlords met their suffering with silence,” Mamdani said. “Today, that neglect is finally met with consequences.”

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development also secured the appointment of an independent chief restructuring officer to oversee repairs.

Officials froze more than $900,000 from the landlords’ accounts and directed those funds toward immediate building fixes affecting nearly 500 apartments.

The City urged Federal National Mortgage Association, which has begun foreclosure proceedings, to work with officials and tenants to identify a new owner.

Officials want a buyer who will maintain affordability and address long-standing violations, said HPD Commissioner Dina Levy.

Tenants and advocates described conditions that included nearly 2,000 unresolved violations across the properties. The buildings’ owners have appeared on the Public Advocate’s worst landlords list.

State Sen. Gustavo Rivera said the penalty reflects prolonged organizing by residents.

“Providing habitable housing to New Yorkers is not an investment opportunity, it is a legal obligation,” he said.

Attorneys with The Legal Aid Society said tenants had pursued multiple remedies before the ruling.

“Our clients have pursued every remedy available, yet the landlord has failed to act,” staff attorney Zoe Kheyman said.

City officials said the case, filed in 2024 by the agency’s Anti-Harassment Unit, will now shift toward enforcing repairs and stabilizing management as foreclosure proceedings continue.