Mayor Mamdani on Friday announced the creation of a new Office of Deed Theft Prevention and named a longtime homeowner assistance lawyer as its director.
Deed theft, a type of fraud in which scammers swipe the ownership of others’ homes, was spotlighted this week with the arrest of Councilmember Chi Ossé while protesting the issue.
“City Hall will use the full extent of our power to protect those who have been left to struggle alone for so long, because every New Yorker should be able to realize the benefits of their labor, of their investments,” Mamdani said at a press conference in Bedford-Stuyvesant to announce the new office. “Every New Yorker should be able to lead a dignified life in the home that they grew up in, in the city that they love, and we are going to look to utilize every tool to make that possible.”
Peter White, a lawyer who previously worked for Access Justice Brooklyn, a nonprofit group, will lead the office. He began his remarks by telling a story of an older Brooklyn homeowner getting an eviction notice from a man claiming to be her landlord — she recalled he was a handyman who did repairs for her, and that she’d signed a contract with him but hadn’t read it carefully.
“I will approach this position with the rigor and seriousness that it deserves to help preserve the home of individuals like the person in my story,” White said. “My fundamental goal is to make life better for New York City homeowners.”
Gardiner Anderson / New York Daily News
City Councilman Chi Osse speaks outside the 79th Precinct stationhouse on Wednesday after being released following his arrest during an eviction protest. (Gardiner Anderson / New York Daily News)
The new office has been earmarked for $500,000 in the current fiscal year and $1 million for the upcoming years. It will be housed under the city’s Department of Finance.
Mamdani earlier this year came under fire, including from Black homeowners, for his proposal to raise property taxes to help fill the city’s multi-billion-dollar budget gap.
The mayor said the new office will focus on doing educational outreach to homeowners about deed theft, connect potential victims with lawyers and law enforcement, and review legislation, as well as coordinate efforts between different branches of city and state government.