A Crown Heights landlord accused of lying about rent-stabilized apartments will re-register his units and offer all tenants rent-stabilized leases as part of a settlement with Attorney General Letitia James.
James’ office sued John Anderson in June, accusing him of failing to comply with state law, overcharging and harassing tenants, and lying on government forms. All the while, city records show, the building in question — 1075 Dean St. — was falling into disrepair.
The suit was part of the AG’s “de-facto rent stabilization” enforcement unit, which was launched in 2025. Under state law, buildings with six or more units constructed before 1974 are automatically rent-stabilized. A later judicial doctrine ruled that buildings initially found to have too few units to qualify could be de-facto stabilized if landlords later added more apartments.
Anderson bought 1075 Dean St. in 2004, per court records, and the building is still registered as having only three units. In 2016, DHCR ruled the building was subject to de-facto stabilization, as Anderson had added at least three apartments.
Anderson’s building at 1075 Dean Street.Photo courtesy of Google Maps/Gerardo Romo, NYC Council Media Unit
City records show that 1075 Dean St. has been repeatedly cited for illegal partitions and additions.
But, for nearly ten years, Anderson failed to register the building with DHCR and never gave tenants stabilized leases, per the lawsuit. He allegedly illegally tried to evict one tenant and retaliated against a resident who asked for a stabilized lease by cutting off her utilities.
Three months after the lawsuit was filed, Anderson and the AG’s office agreed on a settlement. Anderson will register three units in the building with DHCR and provide stabilized leases to all tenants. DHCR will determine the “legal regulated rent” for each unit.
Anderson will also be forced to pay back rent overcharges to his tenants, “cease any activity constituting harassment … against any tenant or occupant,” and fix any “immediately hazardous and hazardous conditions” within the next five months.
City records show 1075 Dean St. currently has several open Department of Buildings violations and 138 open violations with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development for various issues, including water leaks, broken faucets, roach infestations and more.
Anderson agreed that he owes the state $49,500 for failing to register the units. After reviewing his financial statements, James agreed not to collect on the fines if he keeps up with the terms of the settlement for a year.
“New York City’s rent stabilization laws are clear, and my office will not hesitate to enforce them,” James said in a statement. “We created this compliance program to ensure that all New York City tenants are treated fairly and that all landlords are following the law. I am proud of the success this program has already shown, and I will continue to stand up for every New York tenant.”
Since the de-facto rent stabilization program was launched in 2025, it was prevented 27 evictions, per the AG’s office, and forced 30 landlords to certify their compliance by returning units to stabilization. Earlier this year, James also sued Brownsville landlord Claudette Henry for allegedly refusing to register stabilized units.