3.5K Brooklyn Households Evicted Amid Post-Moratorium Spike: Data

BROOKLYN, NY — Business isn't the only thing that's bouncing back after years of lockdowns — New York City landlords have also returned to their most brutal tradition.

Brooklyn saw a 178 percent increase in the first seven months of 2023 as compared to the same period last year, city data show. It's a huge jump but still lower than the 208 percent increase in New York City overall.

"New York’s eviction machine is in full swing," said Judith Goldiner, attorney-in-charge of the Civil Law Reform Unit at The Legal Aid Society.

New York City's eviction moratorium ended in January 2022 — and by July 2022, some 650 Brooklyn residential units had been evicted, city data show. In the same period this year, there were a whopping 2,003 evictions.

Some neighborhoods were hit harder than others. In Crown Heights, the first half of 2023 brought 185 residential evictions, while neighboring Prospect Lefferts Gardens saw 101. Bushwick saw 119 evictions, and East New York had 191.

On the lower end, Williamsburg only saw 16 residential evictions in the seven month span and Park Slope only saw nine. Prospect Heights has had only four evictions in 2023.

Advocates say the sharp increase is further proof lawmakers need to enact "good cause" legislation.

"'Good Cause' would require landlords to demonstrate a justification or 'good cause' for evicting tenants in unregulated units, and would protect tenants from exorbitant rent hikes," advocates said in a statement.

"The budget-neutral legislation would prevent landlords from denying lease renewals to tenants who have consistently abided by the terms of their leases, allowing tenants to advocate for repairs without the fear of retaliation.