New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani promised in his inaugural address to introduce New Yorkers to \u201cthe warmth of collectivism.\u201d It now appears landlords will likely to be the first to feel the heat.<\/p>\n
This week, Mamdani revealed an effort to transfer properties to tenants and non-profit groups. Mamdani announced that \u201cthrough our new citywide campaign, Fix the City, we will focus on the worst landlords in New York City.\u201d For landlords, it has been clear that the fix was in for some time.<\/p>\n
Mamdani faced criticism for his\u00a0appointment of Cea Weaver<\/a>\u00a0as the new director of the Office to Protect Tenants. She previously called for efforts to \u201cimpoverish the white middle-class\u201d and called homeownership \u201cracist\u201d while demanding the seizure of private property.<\/p>\n Videos<\/a>\u00a0of Weaver echoed thread-worn socialist mantras that are the signature of the Mamdani Administration. \u201cI think the reality is, that for centuries we\u2019ve really treated property as an individualized good and not a collective good,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd transitioning to treating it as a collective good and towards a model of shared equity will require that we think about it differently and it will mean that families \u2014 especially white families, but some POC families who are homeowners as well \u2014 are going to have a different relationship to property than the one that we currently have.\u201d<\/p>\n Weaver famously tweeted out her beliefs about private property, which are apparently widely shared in the Mamdani administration: \u201cPrivate property,<\/a>\u00a0including and kind of ESPECIALLY homeownership is a\u00a0weapon of White supremacy<\/a>\u00a0masquerading as \u2018wealth building\u2019 public policy.\u201d<\/p>\n Other socialists on the national level have pursued the same policies to target landlords. In pushing national legislation, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) joined fellow Democrats<\/a> in calling for the passage of the HELP Act<\/a> to \u201ccrack down\u201d on some evictions and bar the use of evictions on credit reports. Pressley has declared that \u201cevictions are an act of policy violence.\u201d<\/p>\n Mamdani insists that he will be targeting \u201cthe worst landlords in New York City.\u201d Yet, who constitutes the \u201cworst landlords\u201d could prove a relative notion to the ardent socialist. Mamdani proposes to transfer their properties to \u201cresponsible stewards,\u201d including tenants and nonprofits.<\/p>\n In his 112-page report, Mamdani is again pushing to unleash his \u201cBlock by Block agenda for expanded rent controls, promising not to exempt landlords from Rent Guidelines Board limits. He and his allies have previously heralded Cuba and South Africa<\/a> as models for policy changes.<\/p>\n Mamdani faces a considerable challenge in fulfilling his pledge to build 200,000 new affordable homes, with an additional 200,000 stabilized units over the next decade. There is reportedly<\/a> only a 1.4 percent rental vacancy rate, with 100,000 New Yorkers sleeping in shelters each night.<\/p>\n Rent controls have generally been a disaster, reducing landlords\u2019 ability to make improvements to their properties. They cannot recoup those investments due to rental limits as costs, particularly insurance, skyrocket.<\/p>\n The result is a type of planned failure. As landlords postpone improvements, they are often cited by the city in housing hearings. When those findings and fines increase, the landlords risk being declared \u201cnegligent\u201d and subject to a transfer due to unpaid citations.<\/p>\n There is no argument that the worst landlords warrant the loss of their properties. But transferring such properties to tenants or non-profit groups is a new and costly form of subsidy. Ordinarily, delinquent properties can be sold on the free market to pay off outstanding debts. That allows neglected properties to be put to the most profitable use, which in turn generates more taxes and jobs for the city. If these properties go to non-profits or tenants, that can further reduce the city\u2019s tax revenues.<\/p>\n More importantly, neither tenants nor nonprofit organizations have a proven track record of maintaining properties without substantial city subsidies.\u00a0 It is a mirage created by activists, hiding the true cost to taxpayers.<\/p>\n Mamdani continues to pursue policies that will suppress, not surge, new construction. His administration is requiring construction companies to pay a minimum of $40 per hour for city-funded affordable housing, which will further discourage investors.<\/p>\n He announced a $22 billion subsidy for housing costs, with 25 percent going to the New York City Housing Authority. These increased costs will likely grow as fixed budgetary items for the city.<\/p>\n Although it is economically dubious, it is politically dynamite. Much of Mamdani\u2019s support comes from young people who have no memory of or experience with the failures of socialist policies in the twentieth century. He simply promises things like free buses or\u00a0city-run grocery stores<\/a>\u00a0as if they can be supported by free money without addressing their true costs.<\/p>\n His grocery stores show the same economic sleight of hand. The city is planning to spend $30 million to create the first store \u2014 four times what such stores normally cost. On top of that cost, it was discovered that the city had already appropriated $25 million for the improvement of the site<\/a>. That is $55 million for a site that will not go on the market for the highest bidders, but rather be operated by the city at a loss.<\/p>\n In my book, \u201cRage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.<\/a>\u201d\u00a0I discuss this trend in Western countries toward socialist policies. It is what I refer to as the \u201ceconomic factionalism\u201d that has been used in prior years by figures ranging from Huey Long to Bernie Sanders.<\/p>\n With the highest rental rates in the country (with median rents at $3,616) and a shortage of units, there is widespread support for building new affordable housing. But government rent controls, mandatory wage increases and property seizures will inhibit such efforts.<\/p>\n Mamdani\u2019s free buses, city-run stores and this new housing effort will achieve one overriding goal: introducing socialism in New York City, \u201cblock by block.\u201d<\/p>\n Jonathan Turley is a law professor and the best-selling author of \u201cRage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. <\/a><\/p>\n