Mayor Mamdani, HPD Announce Largest-Ever Penalty Against Negligent Bronx Landlords

May 6, 2026

Court judgements include $31 million in penalties, appointment of Chief Restructuring Officer to ensure repairs are made

NEW YORK - Today, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Dina Levy announced the City has secured a record $31 million in penalties against the owners of Robert Fulton Terrace and Fordham Towers in the Bronx - the largest penalty ever obtained by HPD.

The City also secured the appointment of an independent Chief Restructuring Officer as part of the court judgements, froze over $900,000 from the owners' bank accounts, and negotiated to release those funds to the Chief Restructuring Officer to make sure critical repairs are completed for residents across nearly 500 apartments.

The Mamdani administration is also calling on the Federal National Mortgage Association, Fannie Mae, which has initiated foreclosure proceedings on the buildings, to work with HPD and tenants to identify a preservation buyer who will serve as a responsible, long-term steward of these homes. Originally built as stable, middle-income housing, the buildings have fallen into neglect.

"For years, tenants at Robert Fulton Terrace and Fordham Towers have been forced to live with vermin infestations, chronic elevator outages and a lack of heat and hot water - while their landlords met their suffering with silence. Today, that neglect is finally met with consequences," said Mayor Mamdani. "This administration secured the largest penalty in HPD's history because no landlord is above the law. But penalties alone are not enough. We are taking control of the situation to make sure repairs are made and conditions are permanently improved. Every New Yorker deserve safe, dignified housing."

"Every tenant in New York City has the right to a safe and well-maintained home - but for the residents of Robert Fulton Terrace and Fordham Towers, that right has been out of reach for too long. Our administration will use every tool at our disposal to deliver repairs and better management for the tenants of these buildings," said Leila Bozorg, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning. "I'm inspired by the organized tenants and grateful to the teams at HPD, the Legal Aid Society and Our Bronx for fighting for accountability and improvements."

"In the Mamdani administration, the Mayor of New York City is on tenants' side. This judgement is not just a step forward for the tenants of these buildings - it is a sign of a new era of leadership, where the City works hand-in-hand with organized tenants to deliver a fairer city for all New Yorkers," said Cea Weaver, Director of the Mayor's Office to Protect Tenants.

"Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in a long and difficult history for these buildings and these tenants," said Dina Levy, HPD Commissioner. "This is a story I know well: I organized tenants here back in 2009, when they were first coming out of Mitchell-Lama. Since then, tenants have been subject to decades of mistreatment, but that comes to an end today: Thanks to aggressive litigation by HPD's Anti-Harassment Unit, we now have a record $31m judgement against the owners. That gives us leverage in bankruptcy proceedings, which we'll use to deliver better outcomes for residents."

Tenants in these buildings have reported years of neglect, including persistent elevator outages, lack of heat and hot water, vermin infestation, and hundreds of unresolved violations. The owners, Karan Singh and Rajmattie Persaud, have been included on the Public Advocate's Worst Landlords List.

The litigation, first filed in 2024, was brought by the Anti-Harassment Unit within HPD's Housing Litigation Division.

"Our City's affordable housing crisis demands that we preserve affordable housing and make sure rent-paying tenants live in safe and dignified living conditions. Providing habitable housing to New Yorkers is not an investment opportunity, it is a legal obligation," said State Senator Gustavo Rivera. "My team has been advocating on behalf of the tenants at Fordham Towers for the last decade, so I am grateful to the Mamdani administration and HPD for keeping their promise to hold bad landlords accountable by imposing a $31 million fine on some of the Worst Landlords in our city and for enacting a plan to ensure that repairs in these buildings are completed."

"The Mayor's announcement of a $31 million penalty marks a critical step in holding negligent landlords accountable. For too long, residents of Robert Fulton Terrace and Fordham Towers have been forced to live in unsafe and unacceptable conditions that fall far below basic standards of housing. What was once promised as affordable, quality housing has instead become a clear example of neglect. I commend Mayor Mamdani and his administration for taking this bold enforcement action, along with appointing of a Chief Restructuring Officer. These are necessary steps to ensure repairs are completed and tenants are protected across New York City," said State Senator Luis R. Sepúlveda. "In the same way, I am championing the Anti Slumlord Act (S9332) which stops landlords with dangerous housing violations from buying more buildings. It helps protect tenants and hold negligent landlords accountable. No landlord is above the law, and no tenant should have to endure living in deplorable housing conditions. Housing is a fundamental right, and I will continue to fight, along my colleagues at all levels of government, to ensure every New Yorker has access to safe, stable, and dignified housing."

"For years, tenants at Robert Fulton Terrace and Fordham Towers have organized with Our Bronx to document dangerous conditions, build tenant leadership, and demand the safe, stable homes they deserve. Today's record penalty is a powerful reminder that when tenants are organized, their experiences cannot be dismissed and negligent ownership can be held accountable. We thank Mayor Mamdani, HPD, and the Anti-Harassment Unit for holding these landlords accountable, and urge Fannie Mae to work with HPD and tenants to secure a responsible preservation buyer who will repair these buildings, keep them affordable, and respect the leadership of the residents who have fought to protect their homes," said Sandra Lobo, Executive Director, Our Bronx.

"The conditions at Fordham and Fulton Tower-chronic heat and hot water outages, broken elevators, infestations, and nearly 2,000 violations-are unacceptable," said Zoe Kheyman, Staff Attorney in the Housing Justice Unit - Group Advocacy at The Legal Aid Society. "Our clients have pursued every remedy available, yet the landlord has failed to act. We welcome the City's effort to transfer ownership to a responsible party and will continue fighting to ensure residents receive the safe, dignified housing they deserve."

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