Mayor Mamdani hails transfer of neglected Crown Heights buildings to new owner
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the sale of three dilapidated Crown Heights properties, formerly owned by the late Rubin Dukler, to investor Mark Schwartz, citing a crackdown on negligent rent-stabilized landlords.
City Hall celebrated the sale of three Crown Heights buildings with over 1,000 violations, previously owned by the deceased landlord Rubin Dukler, to Mark Schwartz, who plans to work closely with the Housing and Preservation Department. Mayor Zohran Mamdani highlighted the move as part of a broader effort to curb chronic neglect in rent-stabilized housing. The transaction was enabled by the department’s Alternative Enforcement Program, which compels emergency repairs on condemned properties.
Tenants, who formed the Dukler Tenant Union in 2025 after Dukler’s death left them without management, praised the new ownership. Attorney Massimo D’Angelo described the sale as a “genuine success story” and warned it foreshadows further transfers from non-compliant landlords, possibly leading to tenant-owned buildings.
Why it matters
The sale shows how New York City is using enforcement tools to address unsafe rent-stabilized housing and could reshape ownership models.
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