Public housing tenants were finally being welcomed into the city’s “Rental Ripoff” hearings.

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Public housing tenants were finally being welcomed into the city’s “Rental Ripoff” hearings

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said they too have a right to live in safe conditions

Attorney General Letitia James, who spoke exclusively to NY1, said the goal of the hearings is to turn complaints into solutions

“If you are a NYCHA resident, we want and welcome your stories at ‘Rental Ripoff’ hearings,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.

He publicly announced the change on Thursday night in the Bronx.

“They have also come to expect little from a city government that has constantly turned a blind eye to disrepair. So the legacy of living in that housing is a legacy of being ignored. And I say that to say that it is our responsibility to rewrite that legacy,” Mamdani said.

This was the first time New York City housing residents were allowed inside. Mamdani said they too have a right to live in safe conditions.

“NYCHA should not be an afterthought. NYCHA has been an issue for New York City for thousands of years,” the Rev. Kevin McCall, a housing and tenant advocate, said.

The news was bittersweet for housing advocates like McCall, who said the reprieve came a little too late.

“They were excluded at the conversation, not included. Now you want to be able to talk about it because of the pressure,” he said.

McCall said he’s hopeful Mamdani will be able to finally invest and address the slew of issues at housing developments across the city.

“The mayor should clean up his own backyard before he goes to someone else’s,” he said.

Ahead of the hearing, tenants rallied for their bad landlords to be held accountable. NY1 spoke to a slew of residents who say they are living in units that are infested with rats and roaches and have problems with mold and elevators.

“They continue to charge fees for things like washing machines and things of that nature, but they don’t provide the services that we require and have a right to,” Ann Maitin, a tenant, said.

“We call management first, they don’t respond, they take forever to respond. They tell the super to fix it, but then don’t have the part the super needs. They take months to order the new materials,” Diane Finch, a tenant, said.

As part of the hearing, tenants who signed up got a chance to speak one-on-one with city officials for 3 minutes.

“This is not the start of testimony but the start of solutions,” Mamdani said.

Attorney General Letitia James, who spoke exclusively to NY1, said the goal of the hearings is to turn complaints into solutions.

“It’s important that we hear from tenants because policy is usually framed from the issues tenants bring forward,” James said.

The next “Rental Ripoff” hearing is scheduled for March 28 in Manhattan.