BROOKLYN (WABC) — City renters are sounding off about problems at home, from falling ceilings to broken elevators to rats and roaches.
Angelina Landress represents the Tenant’s Association for her building in Flatbush.
“We’ve had our neighbors trapped in elevators. We’ve had people slip and fall. We’ve had windows fall on people. We’ve had the ceiling collapse on people,” Landress said.
Because of those problems, she attended the Mamdani administration’s so-called ‘Rental Ripoff’ hearing at the George Westinghouse High School in Downtown Brooklyn.
It’s the first of five public events, one in each borough, where New Yorkers can share their experience of renting.
“The mayor’s office to Protect Tenants is hosting these hearings to hear directly from you about how you’re being price gouged in your home, all the ways that you’re paying too much and getting too little in return, whether that’s being charged junk fees or tolerating rent increases while the conditions in your home deteriorate,” Cea Weaver, with the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants said.
The hearing featured tables with representatives from different city organizations, like the Department of Buildings, where renters could ask questions, as well as rental report boards where attendees posted their suggestions on how the city could improve.
Mayor Mamdani ran on a campaign of lowering living costs, freezing rent and cracking down on bad landlords, so these hearings are part of an executive order to eventually create policy around those promises.
Luca Seixas, who has issues with roaches and mice at home in Greenpoint, hopes that happens.
“There’s a huge disconnect between New Yorkers’ lives and what actually goes into law,” she said.
The hearings are just for people renting privately, not for those who live in public housing. However, a table was made available for NYCHA tenants to share their concerns as well.
Outside the hearing, tenant advocates were rallying.
“We are ready to work with this administration to crack down on slumlords and make every single New Yorker have a safe and stable home,” one renter said.
This was the first hearing; the second one is next week in Queens.
After all five boroughs are done, the city will have 90 days to come up with plans based on what it’s learned.
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* More local news
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
Copyright © 2026 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.
