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A state appellate court recently approved the city’s plan to take over an owner’s properties after he allegedly failed to prevent his tenants from “Airbnb-ing” their apartments. In August, a Manhattan Supreme Court judge found the owner of several Midtown rental buildings guilty of contempt of court after a two-year-long legal battle with the City of New York.

Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced a new Mitchell-Lama Reinvestment Program. Nearly 20,000 of the city-supervised co-ops and rentals in New York City’s Mitchell-Lama buildings have left the program since 1989. The new program, with an initial infusion of $250 million, will target more than 15,000 homes over the next eight years to save Mitchell-Lamas where affordability is at risk.

Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer recently announced the start of New York City’s “Heat Season,” which legally requires all residential building owners to maintain indoor temperatures at 68 degrees when it falls below 55 degrees outside during the day, and a minimum of 62 degrees indoors overnight, regardless of outdoor temperatures. The 2017-2018 “Heat Season” began on Sunday, Oct. 1 and continues through Thursday, May 31, 2018.

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, and Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced a first-of-its-kind settlement between the Tenant Harassment Prevention Task Force and ICON Realty Management. This settlement provides tenants broad relief, requiring the owner to end harassment and hazardous living conditions for the hundreds of tenants in buildings owned and managed by ICON.

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman recently announced the sentencing of Steven Croman, a landlord who owns more than 140 apartment buildings across Manhattan, for fraudulently refinancing loans and committing tax fraud. Croman was taken into custody and will serve one year of jail time on Rikers Island. As part of his guilty plea, he is also paying a $5 million tax settlement to the state; Croman paid the first $3 million of that settlement last month.

On Aug. 30, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed 18 pieces of legislation focusing on tenant harassment. The new laws make it easier for tenants to take abusive owners to court, and increase penalties and enforcement against dangerous and illegal construction.

A lawsuit, which seeks class action status, against Kushner Companies alleges that the company violated rent stabilization laws at a Brooklyn Heights building. The lawsuit puts a spotlight on Jared Kushner, the former CEO of the firm and top White House adviser who continues to hold a stake in the Brooklyn Heights property.

On Sept. 7, the City Council unanimously approved a 22-block rezoning and development plan for Downtown Far Rockaway, Queens. The rezoning plans to bring more than 3,000 residential units to Far Rockaway, on land that is owned by the city, and all of these units would be affordable. The plan covers 23 blocks in total and will cost roughly $288 million, including about $126 million of city funds. The rest will come from the federal government and private groups.

According to analysis by the New York Building Congress (NYBC), despite the expiration of the 421a tax incentive program and community resistance to portions of the mayor’s rezoning plan, New York City is roughly on pace to meet de Blasio’s 10-year target for the construction of new low-income units throughout the five boroughs.

Boiler compliance filings for 2017 and beyond will be launched on Aug. 14, 2017, on DOB’s online platform for owners to submit their compliance filings, DOB Now: Safety. Currently, 2017 Boiler Inspection Cycle compliance filings submitted in person or via mail are no longer accepted. However, 2016 Boiler Inspection Cycle compliance filings will continue to be accepted in person on the 4th and 6th Floors at 280 Broadway or via mail through Dec. 31, 2017. This includes disk filing submissions.