New York City Mayor Eric Adams promises to oppose rent freeze at town hall for landlords
New York City's housing crisis took center stage Friday night at a town hall in Brooklyn.
Only CBS News New York was there as Mayor Eric Adams listened to complaints about sky-high expenses, but this time it wasn't renters complaining – it was landlords.
Landlords voice concerns about surging prices, squatters
Humberto Lopes owns 130 properties and set up the town hall in a school auditorium in Red Hook.
Landlords of rent-stabilized apartments say their costs, including insurance and property assessments, have surged.
"One apartment that I just got empty, right? It cost me $6,000 to do just a move out, which is paint, windows, check everything, clean everything, smoke detectors, put everything up to date, right? Six grand. I got an increase of $30," Lopes said.
Landlord Tom Diana said he has been stuck with a squatter for eight years due to a housing court backlog.
"I had a companion to a senior citizen who was disabled, and when the senior citizen died, the companion decided, 'I'm staying,'" he said.
After years of complaints to the city, Diana's cries for help finally made it all the way to the mayor.
"This is insanity," he told Adams.
Adams, who himself was a landlord, promised to oppose a rent freeze.
"I'm not going to play politics with your assets," he told the crowd.
Renters, mayoral candidates say tenants need a concession
Renters who spoke to CBS News New York had little sympathy for landlords' complaints.
"Well, if their costs are going up, so are mine. So, like, I don't know, something's got to give," renter Tommy Gallagher said.
"They're making a lot of excuses just to raise prices anywhere," renter Inthi Kyum said.
Several mayoral candidates running for the Democratic nomination, including State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani and City Comptroller Brad Lander, support a rent freeze.
"Eric Adams has given landlords substantial rent increases, which is why net operating income was up 12% this year, and so it's tenants who need the concession this year," Lander said.
"Tell him to go get another job. You want to destroy the city? We're going to go back to the '80s and the '70s where I got hired to board up buildings," Lopes said.
Cuomo, who has been leading the polls, is also opposed to a rent freeze.
Adams was the only mayoral candidate Lopes invited to the town hall. Despite winning as a Democrat in 2021, NYC Mayor Eric Adams running as independent in reelection campaign.
