As a renter and a New Yorker, I know well, and have myself, been the target of eviction threats or contention cases with unresponsive landlords who refuse to make necessary repairs. That experience and numerous stories come through the complaints our inspectors receive and respond to, and are regular reminders of what’s at stake –– why a thoughtful, collaborative, and boots-on-the-ground strategy is a necessary piece to ensure the work we do has the impact we want.
Far too many people believe that dealing with harassment is just another part of living in New York City that can’t be helped. With a dangerously low percentage of available, accessible housing and rising costs, the limited options feeds into that perception. For the team at the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), combating this situation and trying to give tenants a different reality is one of our north stars. Tenants shouldn’t have to face this alone, and at HPD, we’re making sure they don’t.
This work is executed by our entire agency, not just a single unit or area of work. Our enforcement team is on the ground every day responding to complaints, issuing violations, and making emergency repairs when necessary. Our colleagues in Housing Litigation are taking legal action –– in conjunction with tenants, bringing actions on their behalf, or our agency taking steps to seek repairs ourselves. Our rental assistance team is pushing when they find units that do not meet the basic standard of habitability and working with owners to get those fixes done. And where the issue goes beyond the scope of our oversight, we leverage our relationships with agencies like the Department of Buildings and the Department of Health to look into an expanded set of issues where their powers can help bring relief to New Yorkers. We are using every tool we have to protect tenants’ rights, to increase our reach so we can educate and empower constituents to take action and create transparency through data so actors can be held accountable. The message is simple: if you’re a tenant experiencing abuse or harassment, we are here, we are listening, and we are taking action.
But we know the government cannot do it alone. Lasting change requires organizing and community partnerships. That’s why I’m proud to talk about the expansion of Partners in Preservation, an HPD initiative that supports tenants by creating the space for collaboration between CBOs, legal services providers, and government agencies to more strategically identify and address tenant harassment and untenable living conditions in rent-regulated buildings. One of the more important objectives of this format is empowering the tenants to be our partners and helping them form strong, effective tenant associations — because we know that when tenants come together, they can change the trajectory of their buildings and their communities.
Partners in Preservation began as a pilot in 2019 and has already shown what’s possible when government partners with community organizations. Now, with permanent annual funding of over $5 million per year, the expanded program will serve all five boroughs, helping tenants across 30 community districts form nearly 200 new tenant associations.
We’re closely working with 16 trusted community-based partners, including Community Voices Heard, Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, the Flatbush Tenant Coalition, and the Cooper Square Committee. These groups are deeply rooted in the neighborhoods they serve, and they understand the unique challenges tenants face –– from neglect and unsafe conditions to outright harassment.
Our role is to support and amplify that work. We’re providing data tools to help identify buildings where tenants are in need, facilitating connections to legal services and other City agencies, providing training and information about HPD enforcement processes directly to organizers so they can better utilize those tools and explain them to tenants, conducting follow-up enforcement activities in some buildings and showing up alongside tenants to ensure their voices are heard. Together, we are shifting the balance of power — away from negligent landlords and toward the people who make our city home.
Tenant harassment takes many forms. Sometimes it looks like unsafe construction or an absentee landlord ignoring critical repairs. Sometimes it’s more subtle: refusing to renew leases, shutting off essential services like heat and hot water, or creating unlivable conditions to push tenants out. These tactics are all illegal, often disproportionately affecting low-income residents, families, and communities of color, and as a result, erode the very fabric of our neighborhoods.
But through Partners in Preservation, tenants are pushing back. They’re learning their rights, forming tenant associations, organizing for repairs, and protecting their homes from displacement. They’re not just improving conditions in their buildings, they’re strengthening the entire community. Where there are owners who want to be responsive but have difficulties with the costs, our preservation experts can be brought in and can build on those discussions. This is what the power of a thoughtful, collaborative, and boots-on-the-ground strategy looks like.
We’re proud to support this work, and we’re committed to expanding it. Partners in Preservation is more than a program — it’s a model for how government and community can work together to ensure every New Yorker has a safe, stable place to live.
Holding bad landlords accountable, providing interested owners with the tools to make repairs, preserving rent-stabilized apartments, and standing with tenants are core to HPD’s mission. With this expansion, we’re reinforcing our commitment to neighborhoods across the city. Together, with our partners and the tenants leading this work, we’re building a stronger, fairer New York — one where everyone has the opportunity to stay, grow, and thrive.
Ahmed Tigani is the Acting Commissioner of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD).