New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is doing something radical, again.
This time? Actually asking tenants exactly what their landlords are putting them through.
The Mamdani administration just announced the city’s first-ever “Rental Ripoff Hearings”—five public sessions across all five boroughs where New Yorkers can testify about everything from mold-infested apartments to mysterious fees that magically appear on their rent statements.
And here’s the kicker: the city has 90 days after the hearings wrap to deliver an actual plan to do something about it.
WHAT’S GOING ON: Established by Executive Order 08, these hearings are designed to create what the administration calls “a direct line between tenants and City leadership.” New Yorkers will get to speak about broken appliances, unsafe construction conditions, hidden fees, and surprise charges—basically, the greatest hits of landlord negligence.
New York City: The time has arrived. Finally, a chance to tell the city EXACTLY what your landlord’s been getting away with. NYC’s first Rental Ripoff Hearings are happening in all five boroughs, and we want to hear from you. Real New Yorkers. Real stories. Real policy changes. pic.twitter.com/IS0CoY9Anx
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) February 10, 2026
“You can’t fight for tenants without listening to them first,” Mamdani said. “What tenants share at these hearings won’t lead to empty promises. Their testimony will guide our work and help shape the policies we advance to build a city New Yorkers can afford to call their home.”
Tenants will also get one-on-one meetings with senior officials, including commissioners from the city’s housing and consumer protection agencies.
THE DETAILS: The hearings kick off Thursday, February 26 in Downtown Brooklyn, then hit Long Island City on March 5, Fordham in the Bronx on March 11, East Harlem on March 28, and wrap up on Staten Island’s North Shore on April 7. Most run from 5:30-8:30 p.m., except for the Manhattan hearing, which is a full-day Saturday affair from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Can’t make it in person? You can submit testimony via email to RentalRipoff@cityhall.nyc.gov. Registration is available at nyc.gov/RentalRipoff.
WHY IT MATTERS: “Broker fees, hidden charges, and other predatory practices are ripping off working New Yorkers and jacking up the cost of where they live,” said Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Sam Levine. The hearings, he added, are “an important step toward holding landlords and brokers accountable.”
Cea Weaver, Director of the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, put it plainly: “Tenants are the backbone of New York City, but too many are struggling every day with surprise charges and unsafe living conditions.”
The input gathered won’t just sit in a filing cabinet somewhere. It will directly inform the Mamdani administration’s forthcoming housing plan and a report proposing specific policy interventions. For a city where median rent hit $3,500 and bad landlords operate with near impunity, having leadership that actually wants to hear from renters—and has a deadline to act on what they learn—is a refreshing change from the usual “we’ll look into it” routine.