Crown Heights housing tenants in three long-troubled Brooklyn apartment buildings are entering a new chapter after the properties were transferred to a new owner, following years of organizing over unsafe conditions, deferred repairs and nearly 1,000 open housing code violations.
New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announced on Sept. 3 that the buildings at 1018 Eastern Parkway, 1074 Eastern Parkway and 1392 Sterling Place had been sold by longtime owner Rubin Dukler to Mark Schwartz. Together, the buildings contain 88 rent-stabilized apartments.
The transfer does not erase years of problems, and it does not guarantee that repairs will happen quickly. But for tenants who have spent years pushing for better conditions, the sale represents a significant shift: the new owner has agreed to rehabilitate the buildings with tenant oversight and move toward resident ownership.
Years of Complaints Led to City Enforcement
The three properties are part of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s Alternative Enforcement Program, or AEP. The program targets severely distressed apartment buildings with large numbers of serious, unresolved housing violations.
According to the Mayor’s Office, the three buildings have nearly 1,000 open code violations combined. HPD has also made emergency repairs at each property.
Under AEP, the city can increase inspections, issue orders to correct dangerous conditions and, when owners fail to act, make certain repairs and bill the owner. HPD says the program focuses on buildings where repeated violations suggest basic living conditions are not being maintained.
Tenant Organizing Began Years Before the Sale
Tenants began organizing in 2018 with support from Housing Organizers for People Empowerment, a project of the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board, and Brooklyn Legal Services. In 2025, residents formed the Dukler Tenant Union to push for repairs, stronger tenant control and a transfer away from the Dukler family.
That organizing included legal action and pressure on city agencies to address building conditions. HPD and the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants also supported residents through Housing Court litigation intended to compel repairs.
One tenant leader, Desra Lawrence, described the moment simply: “I’m feeling relieved and hopeful.” She said residents had endured mold, leaks, plumbing problems and pests while fighting for basic improvements.
What the New Ownership Agreement Means
The agreement between the tenant union and Schwartz calls for rehabilitation of the three buildings with tenant oversight. It also establishes a path toward resident ownership, according to the city.
That commitment is important because tenant ownership can give residents more influence over long-term building decisions. Still, the next phase will depend on whether promised repairs are completed, whether violations are cleared and whether the ownership plan advances in practice.
City housing officials say they will continue working with tenants and the new owner to make sure the properties receive the investment and maintenance they have lacked.
Key facts about the transfer
- Three Crown Heights buildings changed ownership.
- The properties contain 88 rent-stabilized apartments.
- The buildings have nearly 1,000 open housing code violations combined.
- HPD has previously made emergency repairs at each property.
- Tenants began organizing for repairs in 2018.
- The Dukler Tenant Union formed in 2025.
- The new owner has agreed to rehabilitation with tenant oversight and a path toward resident ownership.
A Broader Test of New York City Housing Enforcement
The transfer also comes as the Mamdani administration expands its housing agenda. The city says its first budget includes $22 billion over five years for affordable housing capital, including $2.6 billion over the next two fiscal years for affordable housing preservation.
The administration’s housing plan calls for building 200,000 new affordable homes and preserving another 200,000 over the next decade. Those are ambitious goals, and they will be measured not only by new construction but by whether existing tenants can remain safely in the homes they already occupy.
That is why the Crown Heights case matters beyond three addresses. It shows how tenant organizing, legal pressure and city enforcement can intersect when housing conditions deteriorate for years.
There Are Still Questions Ahead
Supporters of stronger tenant protections will likely point to the sale as proof that persistent organizing can force change. Property owners and housing advocates may also note that transferring ownership alone does not solve the deeper financial and maintenance problems that can affect aging rent-stabilized buildings.
Both points can be true. A change in ownership creates an opportunity, but the real test will be measurable improvements: working plumbing, safer common areas, corrected violations, pest control, mold remediation and reliable building systems.
For tenants, accountability should be judged by living conditions, not announcements.
Why This Matters
Safe housing is a basic public concern. When tenants repeatedly report serious conditions and repairs remain undone, government enforcement systems are supposed to provide a backstop.
In Crown Heights, years of organizing helped bring three distressed buildings to a turning point. Now residents, the new owner and city agencies will have to turn that moment into lasting repairs and greater stability.
The public should continue watching what happens next. A successful outcome would mean more than a transfer of deeds. It would mean healthier homes, stronger tenant oversight and a credible path toward residents having a greater stake in the buildings where they live.
Sources: New York City Mayor’s Office; New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
