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Investigation
A Prison Becomes a Co-Op. Whose Co-Op?
The former Lincoln Correctional Facility in Harlem reached a $97.8 million financing milestone on May 18, advancing its transformation into a 22-story affordable homeownership development. The project produces 105 cooperative units across from Central Park. But Harlem residents have raised concerns that the prices remain out of reach for most longtime community members. What the project delivers, who can afford it, and the broader question of who "affordable" affordable housing actually serves.
Policy Brief
What the IBO Found in NYC's Rent Stabilized Stock
The nonpartisan IBO released two reports on the condition of NYC’s ~1M rent-stabilized apartments. What they found, just before the RGB vote.
Of the 2,103 HPD violations issued on May 20, 2026, more than one in four were Class C — the category that gives landlords 24 hours to fix, and tenants a path to housing court if they don't.
594 Class C violations filed Wednesday — what 'immediately hazardous' means for your lease
On May 20, 2026, HPD issued 594 Class C violations citywide — the immediately hazardous tier that carries a 24-hour correction deadline. Here's what the classification means, which buildings logged the most violations that day, and what tenants can do when landlords miss the deadline.
Housing Lottery
165 Willoughby Street: 20 Affordable Units in Downtown Brooklyn, Applications Open Through June 29
A 27-story building in Downtown Brooklyn has 20 rent-stabilized apartments available through NYC Housing Connect. Five studios at $2,063, fifteen two-bedrooms at $2,616. Income range $75,669 to $146,560. Deadline June 29, 2026.
Market Brief
Where State Housing Money Actually Goes
When New York State awards housing money, it goes across the state — not just to NYC. Of Governor Hochul's $125 million for homeless housing announced in November 2025, NYC received about $20.9 million across two projects. The geographic distribution of state housing investment, what it funds, and what it suggests about state-city housing partnership.
Investigation
A 1,100-Page Stack, Printed for Every Tenant
Filing a substantial rehabilitation exemption application with New York State's housing agency requires 1,100 pages of paperwork — printed in physical form, one full stack for each tenant in the affected building. A recent application produced a $4,900 printing bill. What the paperwork requirement actually involves, and why competing institutional priorities make this kind of administrative friction structurally difficult to reduce.
Policy Brief
A New Path Around the City Council
The NYC Board of Standards and Appeals on May 19 adopted rules letting certain affordable housing projects seek zoning relief outside the months-long ULURP review process. The move builds on four ballot measures voters approved in November 2025. What changed, what didn't, and what it means for tenant and neighborhood involvement in development decisions.
Tenant Brief
How to Find Out If Your Apartment Is Rent Stabilized
About 1 million NYC apartments are rent-stabilized, and many tenants don’t know if theirs is one. Your free DHCR rent history is the proof — how to check.
Tenant Brief
You Just Got a Rent Increase Notice. Here's What to Check.
New York law requires landlords to give advance written notice before raising your rent more than 5 percent or refusing to renew your lease. The notice period depends on how long you've lived there. Improper notice can provide a defense in eviction or nonpayment proceedings.
Tenant Brief
Your Security Deposit, By the Numbers
NYC landlords may hold one month's rent and must return it within 14 days, itemized — or forfeit the right to keep any of it. What counts as normal wear and tear, what doesn't, and how to get your deposit back.
ZIP 11109 hit five times its normal daily volume on May 16 — the sharpest spike ratio in the city that day.
9 complaints. One Queens ZIP. One Saturday.
On Saturday, May 16, 2026, Queens ZIP code 11109 filed 9 service requests through 311 — five times its 30-day daily baseline of 1.8. It was the highest spike ratio of any ZIP in the city that day, and it points to something renters can actually use.
Investigation
When "Demolition" Means Something Else
Two years after the state's Good Cause eviction law took effect, landlords have begun citing "demolition" as the reason to refuse lease renewals. The cases now in Housing Court will determine whether routine renovation work qualifies. Tenants facing similar non-renewals need to understand what the law actually requires.
Policy Brief
The June Vote, Explained
The NYC Rent Guidelines Board will set rent adjustments for approximately one million rent-stabilized apartments in late June. The preliminary range is on the table. The final vote is not. How the process works, who decides, and what tenants and landlords should watch for in the weeks ahead.
Market Brief
$19 Million for 56 Apartments
Governor Hochul announced $19 million in the second round of awards under the MOVE-IN NY program — funding to create 56 new affordable units across the state. The amount is small relative to NYC's needs. The mechanism it represents is part of a larger pattern of state and city housing finance moving in parallel.
Investigation
7,500 False Certifications
NYC's Department of Housing Preservation and Development has named 100 buildings whose owners filed an estimated 7,500 false certifications claiming over 20,000 hazardous violations had been corrected in 2025. The buildings are public. The data is checkable. The pattern this represents is structural.
Investigation
What the Shelter Numbers Actually Show
The single-adult shelter population in NYC has fallen for ten consecutive months — the first sustained decline since 2023. From a peak of 19,538 in July 2024 to 16,680 in April 2026, the population dropped roughly 15 percent. What the data shows, what it cannot show about homelessness more broadly, and what the trajectory means for the policy debate.
Investigation
The Voucher Promise and the Court Appeal
As a candidate, Zohran Mamdani publicly committed to dropping the city's court challenge against expanding the CityFHEPS rental voucher program. As mayor, in March, he filed an appeal continuing that legal challenge. The cost of expansion, the cost of inaction, and the political stakes of the decision.
Policy Brief
Where Housing Sits in the $124.7 Billion Budget
Mayor Mamdani's May 12 executive budget closes a $12 billion deficit without raising property taxes. The housing portion totals roughly $22 billion over five years across multiple agencies. What is funded, what depends on state action, and what is at risk if state aid does not materialize.
Policy Brief
New York City's SPEED Report: What the City's Affordable Housing Reform Plan Means for NYC Tenants
NYC’s SPEED report is a package of reforms to cut delays across the affordable housing pipeline, from development to move-in. What it changes for tenants.
Policy Brief
The Court Ruling That Changed Section 8 in New York
A Third Department court struck down Section 8 source-of-income protection. It’s under appeal to NY’s top court and not yet binding in NYC.