{"id":308225,"date":"2026-07-29T00:54:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T00:54:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/308225\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T00:54:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T00:54:16","slug":"die-hard-new-yorkers-blanche-at-mamdanis-pied-a-terre-jaccuse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/308225\/","title":{"rendered":"Die-Hard New Yorkers Blanche at Mamdani’s Pied-A-Terre J’Accuse"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s<\/a> administration last week set off a wave of anxiety when it published a list it stated was \u201crelated\u201d to a new pied-a-terre tax<\/a> on luxury second homes in New York.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The list included more than 900,000 properties and was so broad it included the Flushing, Queens, home of Richard Lee, Mamdani\u2019s finance commissioner, whose agency put out the list. A rowhouse former Mayor Bill de Blasio owns in Park Slope also made the list.<\/p>\n

Simultaneously, tens of thousands of homeowners on the list began receiving ominously worded letters from the Department of Finance stating, \u201cOur records indicate that the property referenced above may be subject to the new surcharge,\u201d threatening longtime New Yorkers with a new tax if they can\u2019t adequately prove residency.<\/p>\n

The \u201cj\u2019accuse\u201d letters give property owners four weeks to prove they actually live where they say they live to avoid paying what could amount to thousands of dollars more above what they already pay in property taxes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s new pied-a-terre tax is expected to raise $500 million as the Mamdani administration looks to plug an estimated $8.8 billion budget gap next year. The democratic socialist won office in part on an agenda to raise taxes on the wealthy and corporations, but Gov. Kathy Hochul<\/a>, while agreeing to the tax on second homes, has so far stymied Mamdani\u2019s demands for other increases.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018They Live Here Full Time\u2019 <\/p>\n

A wave of anxiety swept owners of residential properties and co-op units who received warning letters demanding proof of primary residency. Some homeowners erupted after the administration published its roster of potentially eligible properties, accusing the Mamdani administration of performing zero due diligence before putting them on the list.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"CouncilmemberCouncilmember Gale Brewer (D-Manhattan) said full-time residents of the Upper West Side had called her office with concerns after they received letters from the city demanding they prove their city residency. Credit: Ben Fractenberg\/THE CITY<\/p>\n

\u201cI have full-time residents calling me\u201d who got warning letters, said Councilmember Gale Brewer, D-Manhattan.<\/p>\n

Brewer didn\u2019t receive a letter herself but nevertheless found the Upper West Side brownstone she\u2019s called home since the 1990s on the list. Constituents who reached out who\u2019d received a warning letter told her they fear an uphill struggle to prove their properties are not second homes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have to fill out paperwork and call lawyers and pay them to get help with old documents,\u201d Brewer said. \u201cThey live here full time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Verify First\u2019<\/p>\n

Gail Gregg has lived in her co-op apartment near Central Park on the Upper West Side since 1992, and in New York City since 1981.<\/p>\n

Gregg\u2019s letter arrived Monday. Her first thought was why the agency couldn\u2019t check that she qualified for the city\u2019s condo and co-op tax abatement \u2014 which is only available for primary residences.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis letter is from the Department of Finance and all of these records are sitting right there in the same computer,\u201d she told The City Reporter. \u201cWhy were they not crosschecked?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gregg said she found the finance department website unusable when she tried to submit proof that her apartment is her primary residence.<\/p>\n

Councilmember Frank Morano, R-Staten Island, said he\u2019s been fielding calls from constituents who found themselves on the list and questioned why the Mamdani administration didn\u2019t do a better job vetting properties.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy concern isn\u2019t that people have to prove where they live,\u201d Morano said. \u201cMy concern is the sequence. The city should verify first.\u201d<\/p>\n

How the New Tax Works<\/p>\n

Finance department spokesperson Ryan Lavis said in a statement: \u201cAs per State law, the supplemental property tax roll was published for public inspection. From this list, DOF identified properties that may be subject to the surcharge. Anyone who has received a DOF letter is encouraged to inquire or appeal if they believe their property meets the criteria for an exemption.\u201d<\/p>\n

The letters and the finance department\u2019s website both list specific exemptions from the pied-a-terre surcharge, which applies to properties worth more than $5 million that are not primary residences.<\/p>\n

The surcharges on residential properties range from 0.8% to 1.3% of the property\u2019s market value on a sliding scale that depends on the property\u2019s value. For a $5 million residential property, that would amount to a $40,000 surcharge.<\/p>\n

For co-ops and condos it\u2019s even steeper. Any unit whose market rate is worth more than $1 million but less than $3 million faces a 4% surcharge, with the rate sliding north to 6.5% for units valued at $5 million or more.<\/p>\n

The owner must provide proof that the property is their primary residence, or that it\u2019s the primary residence of a tenant, immediate family members of the owner, the sole beneficiary of a trust or one or more individuals who hold the majority interest in a limited liability corporation that claims ownership of the property.<\/p>\n

Deadlines Loom<\/p>\n

The finance department website is clear that property owners only have to submit their most recent state or federal tax return to prove primary residency, but finding out what documents to provide for the other categories is a bit more difficult.<\/p>\n

The results are multiple clicks into the site and inside the Frequently Asked Questions.<\/p>\n

Former Mayor de Blasio didn\u2019t return a call for comment about his rowhouse.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In response to The City Reporter\u2019s questions, finance department spokesperson Jae Ko offered more details.<\/p>\n

If the property is a tenant\u2019s primary residence, the owner must submit a copy of the lease and a \u201crental document\u201d such as a utility bill or proof of rent payment. For family members the owner must provide a birth certificate, marriage certificate, or immediate family member affidavit. For a trust beneficiary the owner must provide a trust agreement, while with LLC members the owner must provide an LLC operating agreement, articles of incorporation, partnership agreement, or majority interest affidavit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Time is of the essence, however. The deadline to do all that is just weeks away: Aug. 21 for residential properties and Aug. 24 for co-ops.<\/p>\n

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