Zohran Mamdani, the socialist champion of the working class, just left behind a rent-stabilized apartment in Queens that's now priced far beyond what he paid.
The one-bedroom unit in Astoria, previously rented by Mamdani for about $2,300 a month, is now listed at $3,100, a hefty 35 percent jump, the Daily Caller reported.
Mamdani, a card-carrying member of the Democratic Socialists of America, enjoyed what’s called “preferential rent,” a discounted rate landlords use to fill units in slow markets. Now, with him packing up for Gracie Mansion after his swearing-in on Jan. 1, the deal vanishes for whoever comes next.
The timing couldn’t be more telling. While Mamdani moves into the mayor’s official residence, the rent spike on his old place has local leaders shaking their heads.
“Isn’t that just the Democratic Socialists of America’s New York in a nutshell?” asked NYC Council Minority Leader Joanne Ariola, pointing out the irony of a politician sliding from an underpriced apartment to a mansion while the next renter gets squeezed.
Her words cut to the core of a frustration many feel. Policies pushed by folks like Mamdani often promise fairness but end up leaving everyday New Yorkers with higher costs and fewer options.
The Astoria apartment isn’t even hitting the public market, a trend that’s exploded since the city’s Fairness in Apartment Rental Expenses Act kicked in last June. Mamdani himself backed this broker-fee ban as a state Assemblyman, aiming to curb extra costs for tenants.
Yet, the result has been a disaster for transparency. New listings on the Real Estate Board of New York’s Residential Listing Service have plummeted by 77 percent, per UrbanDigs data, as landlords dodge the red tape with off-market deals.
This isn’t the housing utopia Mamdani’s supporters might have envisioned. Instead, it’s a shadowy system where good deals hide from the very people his policies were meant to help.
Queens Councilman Robert Holden didn’t mince words on the broader issue. “This is exactly what New Yorkers are sick of: politicians who benefit from housing arrangements while pushing policies that make rents higher and listings disappear for everyone else,” he told the press.
His frustration echoes a growing sentiment. When leaders like Mamdani champion progressive reforms, yet their own housing perks stand in stark contrast, trust erodes fast.
The optics here are tough to ignore. A mayor-elect who built a career on affordability leaves behind a unit with a price tag that mocks the very principles he’s preached.
What’s left is a glaring question about accountability. If Mamdani’s brand of socialism means personal gain while constituents face steeper rents, then the math just doesn’t add up.
His move to Gracie Mansion might symbolize a new chapter, but for renters staring down that $3,100 bill, it’s a reminder of who often gets left behind. New York deserves leaders whose actions match their lofty rhetoric on fairness.
Until that gap closes, stories like this will keep fueling skepticism. The city’s housing crisis won’t be solved by slogans or poorly crafted laws that backfire on the very people they claim to protect.
