October 5, 2026
Small property owners in New York City are organizing to win back political influence, and one Brooklyn landlord has become the most visible face of the push. According to The Real Deal, Brooklyn landlord Humberto Lopes recently marked the 1 year anniversary of his advocacy group, the Gotham Housing Alliance, which has grown to nearly 200 paying members.
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According to The Real Deal, the Gotham Housing Alliance is an advocacy group of New York City property owners founded by Brooklyn landlord Humberto Lopes. It recently marked its 1 year anniversary with nearly 200 paying members. Lopes is known for a brash, highly visible social media presence, and he says his goal is to convert property owner frustration into real political influence, an area where landlords have largely lost ground for years.
For mom and pop owners, often someone who owns a 2 or 3 family home and rents out a unit, operating costs have risen sharply, including insurance, property taxes, water, heating fuel and repairs. On rent-stabilized units, allowable rent increases have stayed low, and this year rents on those units were frozen. The result is rising expenses against flat income, which is the core complaint driving owners to organize.
Usually not. Rent stabilization in NYC generally covers buildings with 6 or more units built before 1974, plus apartments that entered the system through tax benefit programs such as 421-a or J-51. Most 2 and 3 family homes rent at market rate, so the freeze does not cap what those owners can charge at renewal. They still face the same rising insurance, tax and water bills, and they operate under the 2019 state tenant protection rules that apply to all residential leases, such as a 1 month cap on security deposits and limits on late fees. The 2024 Good Cause Eviction law exempts owners of 10 or fewer units.
Tenants face rents that are already widely unaffordable, and for many households a rent increase means a real tradeoff against food, transportation or savings. Tenant advocacy groups have organized far more effectively than landlords in recent years, winning stronger protections at the state and city level, which is a major reason owners are now trying to catch up. Supporters of the freeze argue that stability for existing tenants keeps long-term residents in their neighborhoods.
Not entirely. Some other landlord groups disagree with certain tactics associated with this movement, such as calls for owners to withhold property taxes, arguing those approaches would harm owners more than help them. Unpaid NYC property taxes accrue interest and can eventually lead to a tax lien sale, so an owner who stops paying takes on the risk personally while the political payoff is uncertain.
Staten Island and Brooklyn have a large share of 2 and 3 family homes with a rental unit, so these owners are exactly the group the movement is trying to reach. A more organized owner voice could shape future debates over the Rent Guidelines Board, property taxes and water rates, while tenant groups continue to build their own political power, and how it plays out remains uncertain. For anyone buying a multi-family in either borough, underwrite the deal with current insurance, tax and water costs, and confirm whether any unit is rent-stabilized before you sign a contract.
Questions about how this affects your home in Staten Island or Brooklyn? Work with Joseph Ranola, or text or call (917) 905-2541. New episodes of Daily Tesla News break down the NYC real estate stories that move the market.
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