Attorney General James Protects New York City Tenants’ Right to Rent Regulation

November 12, 2026

NEW YORK - New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that her office has stopped a Queens-based landlord and management company from forcing tenants to sign illegal lease agreements that denied tenants their right to challenge their rent regulatory status. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found that Samson Management, LLC (Samson Management) required more than 400 tenants to sign an illegal lease rider - a legally binding add-on to the main lease - that waived tenants' right to claim or contest that their apartment is covered by rent regulation laws. As a result of OAG's intervention, Samson Management will remove this illegal lease rider from all current and future leases, inform all current tenants that the rider is void, and submit to a monitoring program to ensure compliance with the law.

"Rent stabilization and control is a lifeline for thousands of New Yorkers," said Attorney General James. "It is unconscionable that a landlord would force tenants to sign away their fundamental rights as a condition to live in their home. I urge all New Yorkers to be on the lookout for illegal language when signing a lease. My office will continue to protect tenants across the city and take action against unlawful leases."

Samson Management owns and manages over 3,000 residential apartments in New York City, Westchester, and on Long Island. In June 2026, OAG opened an investigation into Samson after receiving a complaint from a tenant organizer about the lease riders. The OAG's investigation revealed that Samson Management forced tenants, including 416 current New York City tenants, to sign an illegal lease rider waiving their right to challenge the regulatory status of their apartment. The lease rider further stated that a tenant's lease was dependent upon signing the agreement and trapped tenants in a lease which denied their right to housing and litigation. Under New York law, it is illegal for a residential lease to force tenants to waive their right to litigate or waive any provision of the rent stabilization law.

Samson Management's lease rider threatened those who challenged the apartment's rent regulatory status with eviction. Although OAG found no examples of Samson Management enforcing the rider against any resident, the rider itself was illegal and forced tenants to sign away their rights in exchange for housing.

Under the settlement with OAG, Samson Management is required to remove these illegal lease riders from all current leases and ensure the provision is left out of future leases. Samson Management must also send letters to all current tenants who signed a lease with the lease rider informing them the rider is void. Samson Management will also submit itself to an oversight program with OAG and pay a $2,000 fine.

Attorney General James encourages all New York tenants to be on the lookout for illegal language in their leases. Under New York law, it is illegal to force a tenant to sign a contract that threatens eviction if a tenant claims rent regulatory coverage. Any tenant who suspects that their lease includes such language is encouraged to contact OAG by calling 1 (800) 771-7755 or submitting a complaint online.

This is the latest action taken by Attorney General James to protect New York tenants. In September, Attorney General James announced the first settlement reached with a landlord as part of OAG's compliance program focused on enforcing "de facto" rent stabilization in buildings throughout New York City. The settlement comes after Attorney General James filed the first lawsuits against two New York City landlords and announced the first settlements with two banks as part of the compliance program in June 2026. Also in September, Attorney General James settled with a Brooklyn real estate firm for illegally denying housing to prospective tenants based on housing court records and shut down an architectural expediter firm for taking illegal shortcuts and defrauding the New York City Department of Buildings. Attorney General James also announced in September that she saved four buildings comprising 57 affordable housing units in Bedford-Stuyvesant. In July 2026, Attorney General James settled with a Brooklyn-based management company and its property manager for illegally evicting people from their homes by changing the locks on their apartment doors while they were not home. In May 2026, Attorney General James secured an agreement to close a predatory law firm for taking advantage of New York City tenants facing eviction. In March 2026, Attorney General James announced new protections for 25 low-income families who were forced out of their affordable housing units in Rochester. In February 2026, Attorney General James sued the owners and managers of an apartment complex in Orange County for leaving residents to endure horrific conditions.

This matter was handled by Assistant Attorney General Justin La Mort of the Housing Protection Unit, under the supervision of Unit Chief Brent Meltzer. The Housing Protection Unit is part of the Division of Social Justice, which is overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Meghan Faux.