New York City tenants hope the mayor makes headway in his crackdown on 'bad landlords'

Gulhayo Yuldosheva says she often worries that the mold in her Bronx apartment might be sickening her kids. Her downstairs neighbor, Marina Quiroz, deals with regular rat infestations and leaks that go unfixed. And tenant Tommy Rodriguez, who uses a wheelchair, says he was forced to “slide down the steps, like a kid.” during a monthslong elevator outage.

Several of the embattled neighbors attended a recent “rental ripoff” hearing hosted by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. They’re hopeful that his promised crackdown on “bad landlords” will bring about changes, even as they acknowledge the many challenges ahead.

One major hurdle for many frustrated New York City renters is that they don't know who actually owns their building.

Gulhayo Yuldosheva’s daughters have breakfast in a Bronx apartment building where tenants report maintenance issues, pest infestations on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Gulhayo Yuldosheva’s son, Heriberto, 11, looks through the window in a Bronx apartment building where tenants report maintenance issues, pest infestations on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Gulhayo Yuldosheva’s son, Heriberto, 11, eats breakfast while using his phone in a Bronx apartment building where tenants report maintenance issues, pest infestations on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Gulhayo Yuldosheva’s son, Heriberto, 11, and his sister Olga, 10, prepare to go to school in a Bronx apartment building where tenants report maintenance issues, pest infestations on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Gulhayo Yuldosheva’s kids leave to school in a Bronx apartment building where tenants report maintenance issues, pest infestations on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Marina Quiroz, 65, looks through the window in a Bronx apartment building where tenants report maintenance issues, pest infestations on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Foam sealant and rat poison are seen around a pipe inside Marina Quiroz’s home in a Bronx apartment building where tenants report maintenance issues, pest infestations on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Marina Quiroz’s son uses his computer in a Bronx apartment building where tenants report maintenance issues, pest infestations on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Marina Quiroz’s kitchen in a Bronx apartment building where tenants report maintenance issues, pest infestations on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Marina Quiroz stands in her living room in a Bronx apartment building, where tenants report maintenance issues, pest infestations, Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Francisco Medina, 64, cleans one of his home’s bedroom floor in a Bronx apartment building where tenants report maintenance issues, pest infestations on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Tomi Rodriguez’s room, 45, is seen in a Bronx apartment building where tenants report maintenance issues, pest infestations on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Francisco Medina, left, cleans his apartment next to his relative, Maria Frias, right, in an apartment building where tenants report maintenance issues and pest infestations, in the Bronx borough of New York, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Maria Rodriguez, 73, prepares some food in a Bronx apartment building where tenants report maintenance issues, pest infestations on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Gulhayo Yuldosheva's son, Heriberto, 11, stands in an apartment building where tenants report maintenance issues and pest infestations, in the Bronx borough of New York, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

A religious image hangs from a front door in a Bronx apartment building where tenants report maintenance issues, pest infestations on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

A child plays in a Bronx apartment building where tenants report maintenance issues, pest infestations on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

A broken door viewer is seen in a Bronx apartment building where tenants report maintenance issues, pest infestations on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Gulhayo Yuldosheva, 33 , center right, Marina Quiroz, 65, top, pose for a portrait with other two residents in an apartment building where tenants report maintenance issues and pest infestations, in the Bronx borough of New York, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Humidity spreads in Jose Sanchez’s bathroom roof in a Bronx apartment building where tenants report maintenance issues, pest infestations on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Gulhayo Yuldosheva’s kids get ready to go to school in a Bronx apartment building where tenants report maintenance issues, pest infestations on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Sunlight illuminates the facade of a Bronx apartment building where tenants report maintenance issues, pest infestations on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

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Lead photo: Gulhayo Yuldosheva helps get her children ready for school in an apartment building where tenants report maintenance issues and pest infestations, in the Bronx borough of New York, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)