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Two years into the mayor’s anti-rodent siege, rat infestations persist, but one consequence of the policy change has emerged: a major uptick in homeowner fines. “The summonses started escalating,” said Betty Davis, an 80-year-old retired homeowner on Dean Street who’s received $930 in fines in 2024.
New York City is responding to more reports of housing code violations that threaten the health and safety of New Yorkers, but not every repair is an easy fix. Violations are highly concentrated in a few Bronx and Brooklyn neighborhoods.
The November presidential election is pivotal, environmental advocates say: Americans are deciding between Vice President Kamala Harris, who has a track record in climate action, and Donald Trump, who continuously denies that climate change exists.
“Our lives were here, all of our close friends, everything we had done for years and years,” said former New York City resident and veteran Ramond Curtis. “We absolutely would have stayed if we could have invested in our home in some way, even if it was a co-op, even if it was affordable rent options.”
Five New York City properties that Donald Trump has a stake in could collectively owe millions in penalties over the next decade if they fail to comply with the landmark building emissions law.
Last year, marshals served more than 13,000 evictions, up from 5,000 in 2022, and just 268 in 2021, when the pandemic eviction moratorium was still in place. Over the past five years, six of the city’s 28 marshals were cited for errors during evictions.
The rate increase, National Grid argues, is necessary for maintaining service as safe and reliable for customers. But environmentalists question adding gas hookups and revamping the system when New York is supposed to be phasing out polluting fossil fuels, as mandated by the state’s landmark climate law.
While migrants can receive mail at the city’s shelters, many have struggled to track down important correspondence, according to legal service providers and advocates—especially after the city restricted the length of stays for both adults and families with children.
For tenants in the first upstate city to adopt rent stabilization, benefiting from the law’s basic protections is an uphill battle.
The MTA says losing the revenue generated from congestion pricing could create a domino effect that impacts a series of climate resiliency projects, like fortifying the subway system from flooding and extreme heat.
Funding sought in this year’s budget, alongside updated eligibility criteria, could increase housing options for New Yorkers cycling between jail and shelter.
City Limits uses investigative journalism through the prism of New York City to identify urban problems, examine their causes, explore solutions, and equip communities to take action.
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