FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SEPTEMBER 19, 2025
CONTACT: Allison Manuel | 917-213-6028 | allison@northwestbronx.org
Tenants and Elected Officials Demand Landlord Steven Finkelstein Comply with Court Order, Reimburse Fraudulent Rent Increases, and Make Urgent Repairs
THE BRONX (September 19, 2025) — This morning tenants gathered for a press conference in front of 2770-2780 Kingsbridge Terrace, demanding that landlord Steven Finkelstein immediately repair his buildings and reimburse them for years of unlawful Major Capital Improvement (MCI) charges. Residents from multiple Finkelstein-owned buildings were joined by representatives from the offices of State Senator Robert Jackson and State Assemblymember George Alvarez, the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC), and attorneys from TakeRoot Justice to expose what they call a “pattern of fraud and neglect” across Finkelstein's portfolio. Tenants and their allies are also pushing for long-term solutions, including pathways to tenant collective ownership, to stabilize these homes for future generations.
Senator Jackson, Assemblymember Alvarez, and Councilmember Pierina Sanchez echoed calls for accountability and pledged their support for tenants to take ownership of persistently neglected buildings.
“Housing is not charity—it is a human right,” said State Senator Robert Jackson. “Yet here at 2770–80 Kingsbridge Terrace, tenants are forced to live in conditions of willful neglect while Finkelstein profits from fraudulent charges that push families toward displacement. This is exploitation disguised as ownership. I stand with the tenants and the Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition in demanding accountability: repair every building, end the illegal MCIs, return the money stolen, and open the door to tenant ownership. New York law was written to protect people, not landlords who gamble with lives. Our fight is clear: homes must be safe, dignified, and in the hands of those who live in them—not those who abuse them.”
“Safe, dignified housing is a basic human right,” said State Assemblymember George Alvarez. “For far too long, tenants at 2770-80 Kingsbridge Terrace have endured unacceptable conditions while facing unjust charges that threaten their stability. I stand with the tenants and NWBCCC in demanding that Steven Finkelstein make the necessary repairs, end fraudulent practices, and respect the rights of Bronx families. Our community deserves better, and I will continue to fight for pathways to tenant ownership and accountability for negligent landlords.”
“Finkelstein has a responsibility to the tenants of 2770–80 Kingsbridge Terrace — they must comply with the DHCR order and return funds owed from fraudulent rent increases,” said City Council Member Pierina Sanchez. “In District 14, where nearly 60% of households are already rent-burdened, these tenants were overcharged for rents while also being forced to live in undignified conditions. Even today, Finkelstein continues to neglect its responsibilities at this property, with an inoperable elevator, mold and pest infestations, and a broken boiler. Together with NWBCCC and TakeRoot Justice, I join in demanding Finkelstein comply with the law, refund tenants, and finally provide safe, dignified housing.”
Tenants Won a Landmark Victory - But the Landlord Refuses to Pay.
In January 2025, after nearly a decade-long campaign, tenants of 2770-80 Kingsbridge Terrace secured a precedent-setting ruling from the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) denying Finkelstein’s MCI rent increase application and ordering him to reimburse tenants for years of overcharges. Rather than comply, Finkelstein appealed the decision and filed for yet another MCI increase while 64 Class B and C hazardous violations remain open in the building.
“Finkelstein still hasn’t paid us back,” said Yeniset Estrella, a 31-year resident of 2770-80 Kingsbridge Terrace, who says her family is owed more than $12,000. “The so-called kitchen and bathroom ‘improvements’ have not benefitted the tenants, while there are serious repair issues in the building that have been unaddressed for years. Finkelstein did the building work because he wants to make money off of us, not because he wants to make real improvements to the building.”
Tenants from other Finkelstein buildings shared similar stories of systematic neglect and dangerous conditions. Julissa Valerio, a17-year resident of 2765 Kingsbridge Terrace, described how the landlord’s roof “repairs” worsened leaks and created unsafe living conditions.
“I was terrified my ceiling would collapse and seriously injure or kill me and my son,” Valerio said. “The work was sloppy, DHCR inspectors flagged problems and still the building is full of open violations. We’ve been trying to get Finkelstein to do urgent repairs in the building for years, and the only work he has done has been to put money in his own pocket.”
Systemic Abuse of the MCI System
Between 2010 and 2020, Finkelstein and his associates applied for 620 MCIs across their portfolio, 399 of which were granted. Tenants say this is part of a systemic pattern of using “improvements”—many of questionable benefit—as a mechanism to raise rents and displace long-term residents.
Hand-painted banners at today’s press conference read “Our building is not your piggy bank” and MCIs = Evictions in Disguise.”
TakeRoot Justice attorney Michael Leonard called on DHCR to go further: “Dropping the appeals is not enough—we need to hold landlords accountable who abuse the system, commit fraud, and let tenants live in dangerous conditions while profiting off of them. The tenants should not just get their money back. They should get interest and penalties. And, the landlords should be barred from getting rental increases in any of their buildings if they don’t respect the law.”
Tenant Ownership as the Long-Term Solution
Residents and advocates stressed that tenant ownership is one of the most powerful tools to prevent landlord abuse and create lasting housing stability. “We want to reiterate that tenant collective ownership is one of the only real solutions to landlords’ abuse of Major Capital Improvements as a way to increase profits while neglecting their buildings,” said Ana Dominguez, a 20-year resident of 2770-80 Kingsbridge Terrace. “If tenants were the owners of their buildings, they would have the opportunity to invest in energy efficiency, weatherization, and maintenance not for profit but for the collective good. We wouldn’t be wasting city and state agency resources on fraudulent rent increases designed to displace tenants. Tenants are not only capable of running their buildings responsibly—they are best positioned to make decisions about their buildings’ future guided by long-term sustainability—not maximizing profits for shareholders who don’t live in the Bronx.”
NWBCCC, which has been advancing models for resident collective ownership for years, demonstrating that tenants can take ownership of their housing, protect themselves from predatory and negligent landlords, and create long-term stability. “Landlords have exploited the MCI system for too long, using it as a loophole to extract more money from tenants while failing to make real improvements to their buildings,” said Sandra Lobo, Executive Director of the Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition. “These cases highlight why we must push for community ownership. When tenants have governance over their homes, they are no longer vulnerable to fraudulent schemes and displacement. They can prioritize maintenance, environmental sustainability, and affordability for the long term.”
Policies like the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, which gives tenants the first right of refusal to purchase their building when it goes up for sale, are essential to scaling these solutions and leveling the playing field for tenants who want to take control of their homes.
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About the NWBCCC: Founded in 1974, the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition is a 5,000+ member-led, grassroots organization that unites diverse peoples and institutions to fight racial justice and economic democracy through intergenerational community organizing to transform the Bronx and beyond. We build power for the Bronx through community organizing, economic development, policy advocacy, leadership development, and support services that foster community ownership of assets, collective governance of institutions, and transforming the systems that impact our lives. To learn more, please visit northwestbronx.org.
