The first lawsuit against Zohran Mamdani’s latest rent freeze on New York City apartments was filed Wednesday, as a group of landlords moved to overturn the New York City Rent Guidelines Board’s decision.
The suit argues that the Board went through a “sham process” before voting 7-1 in June to impose zero rent increases on one and two-year leases. Although the Board is supposed to operate independently, its members can be appointed and removed by the mayor at will. In fact, six of the current board members were appointed by Mamdani.
While the Rent Guidelines Board is required to review the economic conditions of the residential real estate industry before voting, the lawsuit alleges that it cherry-picked the data, underestimating operating costs and overstating the money landlords were receiving in order to justify its decision. The suit also points to the resignation of one board member before the vote, noting that the landlord representative quit in frustration after concluding the board had ceased to function as a fact-finding body and that her former colleagues intended to freeze rent no matter what the evidence showed.
“Zohran Mamdani promised to deliver a rent freeze during his campaign and then he went to extraordinary lengths as a new mayor to guarantee it,” Randy Mastro, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said. “This is a perversion of the process.”
Hellbound and Down 